Worth a Thousand Words
by YodgeDurango
Summary: As a child, she was taught to distrust people. When she was eighteen, she lost her parents. Today, the twenty-four year old takes over her family business. As Elsa struggles to cope with the stresses and pressures of her new role, a young photographer enters her life. AU, unrelated.
1. Chapter 1

"I understand, Mr. Weselton, and we are grateful for your three years of hard work, but that was the arrangement: three years," Elsa replied to the frantic man on the phone.

Elsa looked at her full-body mirror to go over her look one last time. Her hair was done in a tight bun, that left only her bangs free on her face. She went down the black pants-suit she put on for the occasion, making sure there weren't any marks or loose strands sticking out.

"That is my point exactly, Mr. Weselton, you kept the revenue steady. The company has not taken any steps forward since you took charge three years ago." She rolled her eyes as the man began trying to weasel an answer past her. She blocked out his stammering to refocus on her attire.

_Should I just button it all the way up? Some people might think it's too revealing. No, we've been over this with the designers and the PR department, it's just a couple freaking buttons. _

Once she convinced herself her buttons were fine, she put on her black heels that were brought in for the day. She then put on her favorite golden necklace, careful with it as if it were fragile. She carefully grasped the necklace and took a deep breath, as if hoping it could keep her safe throughout the day. As she exhaled, she picked up her phone (through which the man was still blabbering, much to her disappointment), and walked down the corridor.

As she walked down the steps, Gerda, her head maid, watched her with approving eyes. When Elsa looked down, she gave Gerda only a passing glance, a cold one at that. But Gerda could tell the young blonde meant no harm; her mind was somewhere else.

Gerda always could tell when Elsa was discussing business, by the way her once bright face would grow dark, even her eyes seeming to grow distant and cold. Elsa was devoting all of her attention to the blubbering man on her phone, and by the time she stepped out the front door she was starting to lose her patience.

"We are done with this conversation, Mr. Weselton. You had three years to show that you deserved to be the CEO, and you failed. And per the arrangement you agreed to with my attorneys, as well as the Board of Directors, I will be taking my rightful place in charge of my family business. Goodbye." Elsa heard the man try to respond before she hung up and got into her limousine.

The car ride was silent, as usual. That wasn't a bad thing necessarily, as Elsa had grown accustomed to the lonely rides in the back of her limousine; it gave her time to reflect on all of her responsibilities for the day.

Isolation was really a common theme in her life, as from a young age she was sheltered from the world by her parents. Besides, books were so much more knowledgeable, intellectually stimulating... and easier, than people. Dependable, consistent, rational, predictable and simple, providing valuable knowledge without their own agendas or motives.

As the gentle rocking of the limo calmed her nerves, and soon she forgot all about her conversation with the soon-to-be former CEO. Instead, she became lost in her own thoughts, going over her to-do list for the day.

_Let's see... once we get to the headquarters, get in the building, take the podium, give the prepared speech, take pictures, and leave. _

Elsa sighed as she ran through each task over and over again. She hated going in public, with all the flashing cameras everywhere she went, not that she went out much anyway. Regardless of how often she left her estate, the last couple weeks leading up to this press conference had been suffocating, to say the least.

She understood all of the additional attention though, it was a monumental day after all. Elsa Beck, the heiress to the oil and natural gas giant, Arendelle Petroleum Corporation, was finally being announced officially as the new CEO. Although only twenty-four, Elsa was more than qualified. She was a Columbia grad, top of her class, and had been shadowing the interim CEO, Mr. Weselton, since he took over for her parents three years ago.

She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath. _No, can't think about them now, we have far too much riding on today's press conference. _As she opened her eyes, she tried to push all of the unpleasant thoughts aside, and continued down her list.

_After the press conference, lunch for the interview with the New York Times. Oh, can't forget the doctor's appointment... Gerda worries too much about me._

The thought of the portly maid brought a smile to her face. Since her parents' death, it had been Gerda who took the responsibilities of caretaker. And she did one hell of a job. After a while Elsa was afraid to even sneeze in front of the woman, in fear of being placed under house-arrest until the maid deemed her "healthy". It didn't help that the blonde's looked frail her entire life.

Still, even she had to admit the past few weeks had not been kind to her. She was a bit feverish, had night-sweats and was coughing a lot. After two weeks of Gerda's motherly care, Elsa finally agreed to see her physician. Even though she thought it was just a cold, she could not afford to be this exhausted, especially with her oncoming duties.

"Miss Beck, we're at the headquarters now. Are you ready to go?" Kai asked.

She looked up to see him staring back at her from the driver seat. When she turned to look out her window she realized that they had arrived. She looked back to the driver, thankful that he had thought to consult her before opening the doors.

"Yes Kai, and please, call me Elsa, this new title doesn't change anything." replied Elsa with a soft smile.

"In private I will call you whatever you wish, but please, Miss Beck, in public I hope you understand there are rules to follow." And with that he gave Elsa one last reassuring look before stepping out of the car.

As Elsa watched him circle around the car, her smile faded. _These people don't care about you, they just want to see you fail. All you have to do is put on a show, just for a couple hours. Remember: conceal, don't feel. _

As she silently chanted her mantra taught to her by her parents, she slowly began to put on her mask. Her warm smile was gone. There was no place in this world for a naïve little girl with a soft heart and warm smile. This world only cared about upholding images and calculating revenues. And if she didn't keep her image alive no one would take her seriously.

By the time Kai got to the door, her transformation was complete. She stepped out of the limo, and began walking up to the doors with the cold glare gazing out at the flashing lights, as photographers sought to capture a moment of weakness in the face of the infamous 'Ice Queen'.


	2. Chapter 2

It was almost ten o'clock by the time Anna finally surrendered to the blistering brightness pouring through her window and began her day. Normally she wouldn't be up this early, but today was Wednesday, her favorite day of the week. No classes, no work, no responsibilities; the way she had planned it since she came to her small university three years ago.

She wiped the drool off her chin and walked into the bathroom. Her first task was to tame the train-wreck that was her hair. Eventually she was the victor, having brought her hair down into a pony-tail. She put on some loose jeans and a white t-shirt, and began preparing breakfast. Suddenly, her phone lit up on her table.

'Hey, I know it's your day off, but at least try to work on your portfolio a little, hm?'

She rolled her eyes as she typed back.

'I know DAD, that was what I was planning on anyways'.

_He hates when I call him that_. She smirked as she imagined his face reading the text.

Kristoff was really her closest friend. They had grown up in the same foster home and were inseparable ever since they met thirteen years ago. When she turned eighteen, she left her foster home and moved to New York City, where Kristoff worked as a veterinary technician.

As happy as Kristoff was to see her, he realized she had come up without any real idea on what she was going to do once she got there. Immediately he made her sit down and helped Anna map out a plan for the future.

Anna settled on art, and began studying photography. When she wasn't at school, usually she was at work, serving the lovely people of New York as a barista in a cozy coffee shop. The pay wasn't that great, but she always made great tips.

_Still not enough... I'm gonna need to pick up some more shifts._

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by an uninviting smell._ Wait what is that? I took out the spoiled milk yesterday, which reminds me, I have to go get more milk. Or do I? I mean I love cereal but I don't really eat it that often anymore, and I really only put it in my coffee in the morning with my breakfas- OH NO THE EGGS_

She whipped around to see her eggs burnt to a crisp, spewing smoke everywhere. She quickly grabbed the frying pan, opened her kitchen window and flung the smoking black balls out. Just when she stopped to take a breath her entire apartment was taken over by a screeching that nearly scared her right out the window. She yelped, slipped and fell to her kitchen floor, angrily blowing the strands of her ginger hair out of her face once she realized it was the fire alarm.

Once she got her apartment under control and apologized to the concerned neighbors who stopped by, she finally sat down to her cup of coffee and strawberries. _This is what I get for getting up early_. She looked at her phone, it was already nearing one o'clock.

_At least I'm ready to head out instead of getting up now I guess... Yeah, definitely counting this one as a win_

Anna as she scrambled through her apartment to grab what she needed for the day. _Let's see here... phone: check, wallet: check, camera: check, extra battery packs:check. Looks like we got everything! _She put all of her items into her brown shoulder bag, put on her favorite green hoodie, and walked out her door.

It wasn't until she got down three blocks that she scrambled back to her apartment, realizing she had forgotten her keys.

* * *

As soon as she got back in the car, she let out a sigh of relief. She had done well. Phenomenal, one might even add. The announcement went without a hitch, her speech went smoothly (she would have to thank Gerda for helping her practice the past month).

The smooth driving eased her into her seat, and her mind began to wander. _You did good, no mishaps, no emotional bursts, professional. That's one task down, two more, and then I get to go home. I wonder if Gerda was watching..._

"Miss Beck?"

She opened her eyes to see Kai's brow furrowed with concern. Though his frame made him look like a grizzly bear, she knew how much of a teddy bear he really was.

"Miss Beck, if you're feeling too worn down, we can reschedule the interview for another time."

"That won't be necessary. I have to get used to this new life. I can't start my first day by canceling on my first commitment as CEO can I?"

Elsa saw that his eyes were still wrinkled. "Really, I'm okay Kai, thank you for your concern, but I'm awake now, and we can't keep Jonathan waiting, can we? I will let you know when my lunch is over." she said with a smile.

"Very well Miss Beck, let me know as soon as you want to leave, I won't be far." Kai then got out and proceeded around the limousine and opened her door.

She walked in the building. As she was led to her table, she thought back on the last time she sat down with Jonathan Gad. She remembered how kind he was; treating her with warmth and genuine concern no matter how cold she tried to be. It was as if he saw her not as a his potential big break, but as a person who had lost her parents.

When the hostess stopped, Elsa was startled to find there was a stranger sitting at the table. Though he flashed a bright smile, there was something dark about his features... his calculating eyes, over-enthusiastic smile, and those... unsettling sideburns. He then stood up and after a slight bow he introduced himself.

"It's quite a pleasure to meet you Miss Beck, shall we begin?" He reached for her hand. "My name is Hans."


	3. Chapter 3

"Hans?" Elsa asked. She hadn't reached for his hand, and she didn't plan on it until she got some answers. She had never met a journalist who didn't introduce themselves with their full name. But then again, she had never had one journalist show up to an interview in the place of another.

"Oh! Where are my manners? Pardon me, Miss Beck, I'm sure you were expecting Mr. Gad to be here. He had a last second family emergency, he sends his regards," said Hans, putting his hand down.

Elsa's eyes narrowed. It was uncharacteristic Jonathan to cancel an interview abruptly without notice. Especially when said journalist had changed the venue just a week ago.

"I see..."

"I am honored to be here in his stead and I will do my best to make this interview go as smoothly as possible," said Hans. He quickly maneuvered behind Elsa, and pulled out the chair for her. "Shall we begin?"

_Well we're here already. Let's just get this over with._

* * *

Anna loved spending her days off out in the city. Now that spring had come about, she could finally rehash her favorite routine; getting as lost as possible. She would spend an entire hour just walking, taking turns instinctively, until she decided she was lost enough to begin her day.

The only problem with these adventures was she would be too tired to walk back by the end of the day, and Kristoff would usually have to come pick her up. "I swear I'll make it home next time!" she would shout in the car. _I haven't seen him in a while, I should visit him this week._

Once she decided she was lost enough, she started exploring her new environment. She was so close to finishing up her portfolio, she just needed a few more shots to complete it. Her last few searches had brought nothing. Today just felt special, and she was determined more than ever.

_Just a few decent photos... That's all I need._

She started walking down the street, hands out in front of her, framing the world for her eyes, swinging her make-shift camera around trying to find the perfect shot.

* * *

Elsa was growing more and more agitated by the journalist. He had already asked twice about her parents, both times being told bluntly, "That's not what this interview is about, next question." She was trying to keep calm, but he was poking and prodding. And so, when he brought up her parents for a third time, she snapped.

"What are you doing here Hans?" asked Elsa in a flat tone.

"I'm sorry?"

"You claim that you are here working in Mr. Gad's stead, and yet you are not asking any of the questions that relate to the topic we planned on discussing. I've already had the discussion you are trying to make me have with him, three years ago. He knew how much I didn't like talking about it, so I'm shocked that he didn't tell you about it, aren't you? That is, if you really came here on his behalf."

"Well I-"

"It's also funny, that he changed the venue just a few days ago, out of the blue. Actually, it wasn't him, according to Gerda. It was his assistant. I don't remember him ever hiring an assistant though. Strange, isn't it? I was only suspicious before, but now that I've said it all out loud, even you must see why I am having doubts that you are who you say you are." Her voice was starting to rise, though her face said otherwise.

"If I may ease your mind-"

"No you may not. I am very offended Mr. Gad would send someone clearly incapable of carrying out a professional interview. I will be calling him as soon as I leave, which is now. You will excuse me." Elsa got up and stormed out of the establishment as calmly as possible.

She stormed right out of the building and down the street. Once she had cooled off, she realized that she had walked six blocked in rage. Cursing herself for losing control, she took a deep breath, and pulled out her phone.

_Okay, it's fine, I'm just going to call Kai, and he'll come pick me up, and we will go to that doctor's appointment, and we'll be home._

Elsa began to scroll through her contacts, and as she got-

"Freeze!"

Her eyes jolted upward, disoriented by the sudden command. Her eyes began to look around for the culprit, though there weren't many people around to begin with-

"You're doing great! Just stay like that!"

Elsa followed the voice to a pair of hands extended in front of a young girls face. _What is she doing? She's... in the middle of the sidewalk staring at me through her hands?_

Elsa couldn't get a good look at the girl's face, so she studied the rest of her.

_She's dressed very plainly, slightly dirty. She's not from around here definitely. Well, there is that "Assisted Living Facility" not too far from here... Did she get lost? No, that doesn't make sense... Maybe-_

"Okay okay seriously, I'm going to need just a few more seconds I swear!"

The strange girl put her hands down to reach for something in her bag. For a split second Elsa worried, slowly reaching for the mace in her purse. When she realized the girl was still struggling with her bag, Elsa looked up to study the face that was hidden before.

Elsa studied the stranger carefully, from her messy ginger hair, to every freckle that powdered her face. The girl's face scrunched up, trying to open her bag, and as she struggled harder her tongue stuck out, if only a little.

"Aha!" yelled the ginger, pulling something out of her bag with a triumphant smile.

"Okay few more seconds, for real this time!" the ginger girl looked up and smiled at Elsa.

Her voice was lost to Elsa, who was still trying to determine whether or not this girl was as innocent as she seemed.

"Smile!"

_Wait what?_

Elsa finally came to her senses. The girl in front of her had a camera in her hands, a quite big one at that, and before she knew it, the girl took several pictures, verified by the quiet snaps of the camera.

"There, all done! Thanks a lot! You made my job a lot easier!" The girl turned to walk away, happily humming a tune to herself.

Elsa cursed the paparazzi girl for catching her off guard as she marched toward the conniving little devil.

"I did not give you consent! I demand that you erase those pictures immediately!" Elsa cried out, admittedly more desperately than she had intended.

"What?" The girl turned around, confused. "But why? You... you looked so happy when I took the picture! I-I only need them to complete a portfolio, I'm not going to show them to the world! I mean why would I? That would be totally weird wouldn't it? You're a total stranger I've never even met, why would I just go around showing your picture, I mean not saying you're not worth showing to people, but..."

Elsa realized that the stumbling list of words coming out of the girls mouth was getting harder to hear. Soon, she couldn't hear anything outside her own heart. All of her senses seemed to dull, quickly fading away. The strange burnt scent of the ginger disappeared, and she couldn't smell anything. Her thoughts became clouded and she felt disoriented and confused. Her vision started to dim, everything melted into a blur, and suddenly-

Darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is yet another slow chapter, I'm afraid. The pace picks up I promise! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Elsa awoke under a bright light in a white room.

_Where... am I? _Elsa let out a quiet groan as her eyes adjusted to blinding light.

"Hey! You're awake!" yelled out a strange yet familiar voice.

Still disoriented, Elsa only managed to shift her head in the general direction from which the voice called out to her, and found the ginger girl smiling back at her.

The girl's face dropped. "Oh! You're awake! I should get the doctor, or a nurse, or both! I- oof!" She had backed into the door as she was rambling. "Uh... I'll be right back!" And just like that, the girl was gone.

_Odd girl... _She quickly remembered what that girl had done, and her smile quickly disappeared from her face. But before she was overtaken by anger, one word came to mind.

_Why?_

Why had she stayed? Granted, she had to call for an ambulance, but that was all she was obligated to do. A decent person would've waited for the ambulance to get there, but she wasn't a decent person. She was one of _them._

Before she could ponder the question longer, the ginger had returned with a doctor. He was a short, tan with dark hair and a thick mustache. His bushy eye brows rose above his thick glasses as he approached Elsa with a smile.

"Good of you to join us, Miss Beck. My name is Dr. Lopez. You're at the Oaken Medical Center. Do you remember what happened?"

After a moment to think, Elsa calmly replied, "I suppose I fainted."

"You fainted at the sight of me!" interrupted the ginger girl. "What can I say, I'm... I'm sorry I shouldn't be making jokes, I'll step outside," she stammered as she backed out of the room.

After watching the door close, the doctor turned back to the blonde with a raised eyebrow, "A friend of yours, Miss Beck?"

Elsa fought to keep her face neutral, before replying, "No doctor, I met her a moment before I lost consciousness."

"Well, it's a good thing she was there to catch you, she probably saved you from a concussion and a whole lot of injuries." noted the doctor.

Elsa looked over her body carefully. Outside of a small scratch on her left knee, she was pretty much unharmed for a girl who had collapsed.

"Well, looking at your chart here, your temperature is a little high, but the rest of your vitals look pretty good, We've given you fluids, and we're going to monitor you for a little while, but I would say over-exhaustion was what caused the temporary loss of consciousness. Once we run a few tests, we will be ready to send you home."

"How long is that going to take exactly?" Elsa asked. She wanted nothing more than to be home as fast as possible, and she hoped she wouldn't have to stay for long.

"Well, your BPM seems a bit high so we want to run an ECG, just to make sure everything is okay. All in all, we should get you home by the end of the night."

"Please try to get this done as fast as possible."

"I will see what I can do, Miss Beck, we will be around, so if you feel light-headed, please let us know immediately." With that Dr. Lopez left the room, leaving the door open and allowing the ginger girl back in. The girl quietly sat down in the chair in the corner of the room.

"Um... sorry if I upset you with my joke earlier, it was in poor taste. Sometimes I tend to ramble, especially like when I'm nervous, like... I'm... doing now... heh, sorry," said the girl as she tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear. "My name is Anna by the way."

"Thank you for helping me to the hospital, Anna."

"Oh, no sweat! I did what anybody would've done really," Anna shrugged. "By the way, are you like, famous or something? Because the paramedics and doctors kept saying your name, like 'this is Elsa Beck, we have to make sure she's okay'. Not that it matters that you're famous, I would've helped you regardless, I'm not expecting any compensation, after all I didn't even know you were famous until after we got here and..."

_So she really doesn't know who I am? No, come on Elsa don't be stupid. We've been down this road before, they're ALWAYS after something. Two can play at this game..._

Elsa cleared her throat. "So, may I ask why you took pictures of me?"

"Oh! Of course!" said the redhead. "Sorry, I probably should ask people in advance if I can photograph them. I'm studying photography, and I'm working on my portfolio and I was going around trying to find some good shots, and I saw you."

"What do you mean you saw me?" _This is the part where you mess up and reveal that you did know who I was after all._

"Well... how do I say this..." Anna's eyebrows furrowed and she bit her lip as she sought out the right words.

_Come on... we both know what you want to say._

"I saw... you. You were... breathtaking."

_Wait, what?_

"Your outfit, your mannerisms, even the way you pulled your phone out of your coat pocket. You were really... cold. You were just so... so icy, people were going out of the way to avoid you, it was quite impressive," added the redhead.

_At least I know what I'm doing is working._

"But... I don't know, I saw something else there too. Something warmer... underneath it all. There was something so mesmerizing about the whole scene."

Elsa was stunned by the sudden change in the ginger's demeanor. It was as if her rambling was shut off by the topic of photography.

_Wow, I guess she's not as ditzy as I thought she was._

"I knew I had to capture you in that moment, you know?" Anna continued, not noticing the wide-eyed girl in front of her. She pulled out her camera and started flicking through her pictures.

"Too bad that the picture didn't really capture what I saw though. I should have had it out before instead of yelling at you. Oh well, I'm sure I can work something out of these."

"Can you elaborate?"

"Well, I was going to look through these, pick a few, play with the photo in editing until it looks sorta like what I was going for!"

When she looked up she quickly realized what the blonde really meant. "Oh, you mean what I'm going to do with the pictures." She put down her camera before continuing. "Umm, well I was just going to use one or two pictures for my portfolio I'm going to submit to my university... If you don't mind?" Anna asked, fidgeting with her hands by the end.

After a moment of consideration, Elsa opened her mouth to give her final verdict.

"Although usually I don't like having photographs taken of me, I am in your debt for making sure I got to the hospital safely. To repay that debt, I will let you use my image for your portfolio."

The ginger girl's face immediately brightened, but Elsa was not finished.

"However, I request that you consult me in every step of this publication process. I will have final say on what is released for this portfolio."

Elsa waited for the girl to nod before she continued.

"In addition, since we will be meeting to discuss these further proceedings, I will have my lawyer draw up a confidentiality agreement. For now I would ask that you agree to keep our discussions private." Once she finished, Elsa waited for the girl's answer.

Anna sat there for a second, trying to keep up with all of the information being thrown at her. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to fully comprehend what the blonde was saying. Once she understood, Anna looked up to see Elsa looking back at her with a blank expression.

"Oh, um... Okay deal! I promise I won't tell anyone!" the redhead got up quickly and went over to the blonde, hand extended.

The blonde didn't make a move to reach for the hand. Actually, she hadn't moved at all, aside from the quick glance at Anna's hand before looking to the door.

"Miss Beck, I sincerely apologize for my unexcused absence. I should have been there. Are you all right?" Kai asked as he entered the room.

"It wasn't your fault Kai, I'm alright," Elsa replied.

Kai looked to the girl standing by Elsa's bed.

"Hi! I'm Anna!" the ginger said, as she spun around to face the large man.

"Kai, it's a pleasure, Miss Anna."

"Kai, Miss Anna escorted me to the hospital, would you please drive her home?" Elsa asked of her driver.

"Oh! You really don't have to, I was just gonna have my friend pick me up or take the bus, really, it's not a big deal."

"That won't be necessary, it's the least I can do for your assistance, Kai will take you home immediately."

_You're not getting away that easily._

"And Anna, please leave your contact information with Kai." Elsa added, to which Anna responded with a nod. "Kai, if you would?"

"Of course Miss Beck, I will return as soon as I can. Miss Anna, if you would follow me." Kai stood at the door, waiting for Anna.

"Oh... ok, umm... thank you Elsa! I mean, Miss Beck, I hope you feel better soon!" Anna waved as she walked out of the room, to which Elsa responded with a simple nod.

Once the door closed, Elsa felt at ease with her isolation. She laid back and started replaying her interactions with the odd girl over and over in her mind, trying to decipher what it was she really wanted.


	5. Chapter 5

**EDIT: OH. DEAR.** **GOD. **I didn't realize that none of my page breaks made it through when I uploaded my word docs. I've gone through all the chapters and put in the page breaks myself. It must have looked so schizophrenic and chaotic without them to cue scene transitions. I'm so sorry! I will fix them from now on. Enjoy!

* * *

"Woah..." Anna had never seen a limousine up close, let alone ride one. She went from the front of the car to the back, fingers gently rolling along the car.

When she got to the end, she heard a door open. She turned around to see the burly man holding the door open for her.

"Thank you!" the ginger beamed as she slid in. After Kai shut the door she surveyed the inside of the large vehicle.

_This might be bigger than my whole apartment..._

"Where to, Miss Anna?"

Startled, Anna simply replied "Uhh... to my apartment!"

… _And exactly how would he know where that is, genius?_

"Sorry! I live in Kingsbridge, on 238th street."

"Very well Miss, we'll be there shortly." With that, Kai rolled up the dividing window, and left Anna to marvel at the spacious luxury she never thought she'd experience.

* * *

The test wasn't bad at all. However, once the scan was complete, the doctor requested to do another test.

"This is an echocardiogram, Miss Beck, think of it like a sonogram expecting parents do, except for your heart," explained the doctor.

The gel was cold, but Elsa maintained her composure. The cold had never bothered her, after all. Once the scan was done, she was taken back to her room to wait for the results.

* * *

"Thanks for the ride!"

Anna glanced back to the limo one last time, smiling from ear to ear at the driver. He waved before driving off.

As she walked into her apartment and flicked on the lights, she heard a grumbling in her stomach.

_Oh yeah, I didn't do that all day..._

When she took inventory of the refrigerator, she held a stick of butter and a jar of mayonnaise.

_I was supposed to do that today too..._

Suddenly a thought popped into her head, and she pulled out her phone.

'Did I ever tell you that you're the best?'

Anna held her breath after pressing send.

'… be ready in ten'

"Yes!" the ginger squealed in excitement. Not only was she going to be fed, but she was going to see Kristoff for the first time in, well, forever!

* * *

Elsa could do nothing except stare at Dr. Lopez as he continued talking. She probably had shock and fear written all over her face, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

_Why?_

"Miss Beck? Did you understand what I said?"

Elsa blinked twice, forcing herself back to reality. She put back on her mask and looked up at him.

"Yes, I understand."

"We are going have your samples taken to the lab to have blood work done. They should be done in a week or two, and we will get you the results as soon as we get them. Do you have any questions?"

She only had one.

"Am I correct in saying that we have doctor patient confidentiality?"

The doctor looked confused, if only for a moment.

"Yes Miss Beck, I won't be sharing this information with anyone, including the people running the test. Your sample will be given a code, no names. No one will know except you. Is that all?"

"I have a couple requests, actually," Elsa took a moment to gather her thoughts.

"First, I ask that you don't share any information with anyone from my party outside of me. This includes my staff at the estate, the Board of Directors and anyone you may think of except me. Are we clear?" Once the doctor nodded she went on.

"I also ask that when you get the results, you call me immediately, regardless of the hour. I will give you my personal number, and I ask that you only use this number to contact me."

"I... Yes Miss Beck, I understand. I will follow your requests to the letter. Please see the front-desk staff when you are ready to check out." The doctor left Elsa to her thoughts again.

_It's okay, just... breathe. No one else knows why I'm here, I'll have the PR department work up a statement that isn't too suspicious. No one else knows._

"Is everything alright Miss?"

Elsa looked up to see Kai at the door.

_No, I'm not okay, the doctor just told me I ha-_

"Yes Kai, I'm just exhausted. The doctor told me I need to rest for a couple days, and if I should feel light-headed to come back. Please, let's go back to the estate."

After studying her face for a moment, he relented. "As you wish, Miss Beck, I've already filled out your paperwork at the desk. We can head out immediately."

"Thank you Kai, that was very thoughtful of you." Elsa walked out, careful to hide her shaky hands.

* * *

"Thf yer di beff!" Anna said as she stuffed her face.

"You're welcome, but come on, were you raised in a barn? Have some manners!"

Anna looked up from her food to see Kristoff face distorted in disgust.

"Manners are for impressing people, and we're at your house! Who am I gonna impress, your cat?"

A pair of ears perked up from behind the sofa, and soon Anna's lap was overtaken by the brown furball. She giggled as the cat raised itself up on its hind legs, sprawled out over her chest and licking her face.

"Stop it Sven! You're a cat, remember? Go do cat things!" Eventually the cat sauntered off, leaving Anna to finish her meal in peace.

"Like I was saying, I am just showing you how much I love your sandwiches, by devouring them! Now please, oh kind sir, may I have another?" Anna raised her plate and put on her best puppy-dog eyes.

The tall boy just rolled his eyes and took her plate, "Jeez what's gotten into you? Did you starve yourself or something?"

"Not on purpose! Things... came up..."

_Please just let it go..._

"What things?"

_Damn it._

"Uhh... nothing really! I just... may have possibly caused someone to faint slightly and took them to the hospital?" She squinted and looked up at Kristoff, bracing herself for the worst.

Kristoff's eyes widened, followed by a series of coughing as he roughly put his glass down.

"You did what?!"

"It wasn't my fault I swear! … Okay maybe it was my fault, was it?"

She looked down at her lap and sighed. Kristoff could see the exhaustion in her face.

"I don't know Kristoff, I really don't want to get into it right now. I'll fill you in tomorrow, I promise. For now, I just want to eat, watch a crappy movie and go to sleep."

"Fine, fine. But I am hearing the full story tomorrow, deal?"

"Deal! Now hand over that sandwich. What movie should we watch, you have Netflix right?"

* * *

Elsa ate in silence, or tried to anyway. After pushing around her food around her plate for an hour, she retired to her quarters.

_Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel._

She could feel the tears rolling down her face, much to her dismay. She sat by her window as silently as possible, just in case Kai or Gerda wanted to check on her.

An hour went by, then two. Eventually she was able to reign in her emotions. She washed up in the bathroom, threw on her nightgown, and laid down in bed.

She wasn't tired at all. All she could do was replay the doctor's words in her head over and over again. Every time, there was one word that seemed to grow harsher and harsher each time.

Tumor.

* * *

**A/N:** Yep. We're going there.

I hope this chapter was a bit more interesting than the previous! We've definitely turned a small corner in the plot, S/O to my 4 followers, you guys are awesome.

As always criticism is always appreciated, next chapter will be up on Monday.

Stay tuned!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** I reworked the summary as suggested by a reviewer, and it appears to have gotten more people to read my story!

The next one should be out this Wednesday/Thursday.

As always, criticisms and suggestions are always welcome! Enjoy!

* * *

Anna awoke to the smell of bacon. Still half asleep, she lifted herself out of the couch and let her nose guide her into the kitchen. Kristoff handed her a plate of food and returned to cooking.

"Thanks Kris, you're the best!" she clumsily leaned over the plate, landing a soft peck on his cheek.

His face reddened, unbeknownst to the ginger. He put his head down and scratched at the back of his neck with one arm.

"Uh... ye-yeah, any time kiddo."

* * *

"More tea, miss?"

Elsa simply nodded, only partially paying attention as Gerda poured the sweet-smelling drink in her cup.

_We have a lot to do today. _Elsa sighed as she looked ahead. Today appeared to be another trying one.

"Miss Beck, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"I know Kai, I already saw the post this morning."

_I knew Hans was up to something. The article is barbaric, but the recording could be damaging._

"Did you want me to take care of Mr. Westerguard's editorial?"

"That won't be necessary, I already contacted our legal department, it should be down by this afternoon."

"Very well miss, please let me know when you are ready."

"Actually, I will be driving myself today. While I'm gone, can you set up a meeting with Miss Anna?"

_I'm going to have to get that girl's last name._

Kai hesitated before answering. "Ah, yes, the young photographer. Shall I bring her to the estate?"

"No, please arrange for a table at Ithunn's for lunch. I trust you will be able to escort her there?"

Once the manservant nodded, Elsa excused the two servants to complete the rest of their duties. She needed to be alone for the next phone call.

* * *

"So... let me get this straight," the blonde boy said. "You made Elsa Beck, the heir to the multi-billion dollar energy empire, faint?"

"Well... heiress, if we're being technical."

"And you took her to the hospital, waited for her to wake up, and she gave you a ride home plus you two are going to meet up again?"

"Oh no, she didn't drive me, her driver did. In her limo," the redhead corrected. "It was big. And shiny."

"Uh-huh... And you're not supposed to tell anyone about this?"

"Yep!" the ginger added as she chewed on a pancake. She looked up to see the boy with a cocked eyebrow, mouth parted.

"Oops... Don't tell anyone I told you that!"

"Relax feistypants," Kristoff chuckled. "I'm not going to tell anyone. You should be more worried about your own mouth!"

Her face reddened and she pouted. _Damn it, he's right. How does he do that all the time!_

"I was just messing with you, you'll be fine! Just be a little more careful before you open that mouth of yours, hm?"

There was a moment of silence, before Kristoff spoke up.

"So... How are you doing Anna?"

"Well pretty good right now, these pancakes are to die for!"

"You know what I'm talking about. If you need help with rent I can-"

"I know what you meant, and I don't want to talk about it."

"Yeah but-"

"I'm not a child, Kristoff. I can take care of myself."

Their staring match was interrupted by Anna's phone. She didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?"

* * *

Elsa was content with her meeting with the board. It was short, to the point, and she was in control. She didn't have to convince them she was simply suffering with over-exhaustion. It wasn't the first time she had fainted, something she never thought she'd be thankful for. The board even agreed to allow her to flex her schedule out to accommodate her physical limits. After all, it was the middle of the quarter, when she had the least to do.

She checked the time. Fifteen-minutes to eleven. She was ahead of schedule. She smiled, trying to count her small victories as Gerda always suggested.

As Elsa pulled into her physician's office, she took a deep breath.

_It never hurt anyone to get a second opinion._

* * *

"Uh-huh, mhm, I see..." Anna's eye's narrowed. She was concentrating, Kristoff noted.

"Yeah, that's no problem, I will be ready then! Thanks a bunch, see you then!"

She hung up, and returned to her pancakes. After a couple bites she looked up at the sound of fingers drumming the table.

"Who was that?"

"Uhh... Nobody!"

"So... You're meeting the Ice Queen?" Once he saw her eyes bulge out of her head, he grinned.

"You're meeting her for lunch?"

"Wha- what?! That's ridiculous Kristoff, she can't just randomly make plans the day of! She's too busy and important for that... right?"

He just smiled at the girl. "Relax, I won't tell anyone. Now hurry up and finish your food so I can drop you off at your place. You could use a shower."

The redhead blew raspberries at him and he chuckled. _At least she's back to her normal self._

* * *

_Why is it taking so long? Did it take this long last time?_

Elsa was having a hard time keeping still. When her physician came in, she could barely stay in her seat.

"I'm sorry Miss Beck, I don't have much good news to offer you."

_Damn it._

She was ready for that answer, as much as she wished it not true. The blonde simply nodded, and waited for him to continue.

"Now I'm sure they already took your blood to run some tests, to see if the growth is benign or malignant, correct?"

"Yes doctor, and that won't be necessary here, I just wanted to make sure I had the right diagnosis. Once I get the results back, I will have the doctor send them here as well." Though Dr. Lopez had given Elsa his word, she felt much more comfortable in her doctor's hands.

"I see. Well if that is all, you are free to go. Please stay hydrated, avoid strenuous activities, and please, be careful."

His tone had softened for that last bit. Elsa smiled slightly back at him before exiting the room.

* * *

Anna sat in silence, trying her best to be still. She felt under-dressed for the establishment and didn't want to attract any additional attention to herself. When she saw her host coming towards her, she stood up. _That's what you're supposed to do, right?_

"Please, stay seated. I apologize for the delay."

"Oh no, don't worry about it! I was just in awe of this place, I've never been here before..." Anna gulped. The Ice Queen was dressed in another pants suit. Anna was clearly under-dressed.

"Yes, well I hope you enjoy it here. They have great variety of entrees. Please, order whatever you'd like."

"Well, thank you!" Anna looked over her menu. _There are so many options! And so many that sound so good! _She could feel her mouth watering.

After they had ordered, they sat in silence.

"Well, I can't see any reason not to get started," the blonde broke the silence. She pulled out a black leather portfolio and handed it to Anna. "This is the contract my advisers wrote up. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have."

"This... This is a lot to take in at once," Anna let out a nervous laugh.

"Please, take as much time as you need."

"Oh... did you want me to sign this today?"

The blonde raised only an eyebrow before answering, "Yes, the faster we get this done the faster we can move on to our... collaboration."

"I see..." Anna started going through each paragraph slowly, careful not to miss a dangerous clause.

"Do you need me to explain what it means?"

"What?"

"You seem to be having some trouble, I could explain it for you, if you'd like."

Elsa saw the redhead search her face for a second, before suddenly the ginger eye brows shot down.

"Are you trying to say I'm too stupid to read?"

Elsa blinked. "No, I was only saying-"

"No, I think that's exactly what you were saying." Anna's hands were starting to shake.

"Anna, please-"

"Don't Anna me! My name is Miss Hudson!" Anna's face grew red, and her voice was beginning to shake.

"Miss Hudson-"

"You know what? Don't bother. I'm probably too stupid to understand what you're trying to say!" Anna slammed her hands on the table. People were starting to stare.

"Not all of us grew up with a silver spoon, Miss Beck. Some of us didn't have nice things like mansions, servants or parents!"

Elsa could see the redhead's eyes starting to water.

"I may not be as rich, or sophisticated as you, but at least I'm not such a... a bitch! Forget I even asked to use those pictures. You want them deleted, they're gone!"

Elsa sat there in shock as the redhead stormed off. Once the shock wore off she could only wonder where it had all gone wrong.

_So that's what that feels like..._


	7. Chapter 7

This chapter is a bit shorter than the rest I'm afraid. I read the reviews, and while I have not written Hans' blog, I might do it eventually. For now, I am focused on finishing this story as quickly and to the best of my ability.

As always reviews and criticisms are always appreciated, the next chapter will be up Saturday.

Enjoy!

* * *

Anna looked out her window as she woke up. The sky was lit in a variety of colors as the sun set.

She sat in her lounge chair, knees drawn up to her chest, replaying that scene again and again in her head.

_I shouldn't have said all those things._ She wiped away her tears. _It's not her fault I'm about to be evicted._

"_Some of us didn't have nice things like mansions, servants or parents!"_

Anna groaned at the memory. _She probably thought I was crazy._

She fished around the pockets of her black jeans until she found an array of quarters.

_Just enough. _Anna wiped away the last stray tears and headed out the door.

* * *

The redhead walked into the all-too familiar lounge. She walked up to the counter, happy to see her employer behind the counter.

"Hey boss! Just came in for the usual."

"Sure thing you little runt!" She braced for his usual ruffling of her hair and looked up when her hair was unscathed. "You alright?"

_Right, I've been crying for the past couple hours._

"Oh, yeah I'm fine, don't worry. I've just been a bit run down," Anna put on the most convincing smile she could muster.

"You sure?"

Eventually the balding man's gaze softened.

"Alright if you say so. And how many times do I have to tell you, your money is no good here!"

"I always have to try!"

She searched for a table. Her eyes stopped on a familiar blonde in the corner.

_I should just let her be._

_Or you could apologize, you know, for blowing up like a timebomb on her?_

_Well she did call me stupid, we're even._

_She didn't actually call you stupid, stupid. You know what the right thing to do is._

… _Sometimes I really don't like you._

* * *

Anna approached the table, and when the blonde looked up, the redhead gave a small shrug.

"May I sit down?"

The blonde's bags under her eyes were visible.

"Of course. Please, sit."

They sat in silence. Eventually Anna mustered up the courage and cleared her throat.

"I just want to apologize for today. I shouldn't have assumed you were calling me stupid, although you might think I'm stupid now that I went all crazy on you," Anna tucked some hair behind her ear.

"Oh no, I should apologize. I can be a bit impatient at times, and that was very unthoughtful of me. I shouldn't have expected you to sign a legally binding contract moments after I handed it to you."

"No no no, we had already agreed before, I don't know why I felt like I had to read it so carefully."

When she saw that the blonde was staring, Anna continued, "I'm saying I shouldn't have doubted you."

"Why wouldn't you?"

"I'm just a broke college kid with a camera. What could you possibly take away from me? On the other hand, you're a young billionaire. Given your position, I could see why you wanted that signed so bad."

Elsa looked down at her tea.

_I've done nothing for her. All I've done is take from her. And yet, after all of this, she's still trying to understand me rather than hate me for it..._

"Oh, I should do this before I forget," the ginger opened her bag.

"I won't need these anymore... Would you do the honors?" Anna smiled as she passed the camera to Elsa.

Elsa was taken back by the picture. The light balance, color contrast, even the slight tilt of the shot (whether intentional or not), all seemed to compliment each other.

"This is very impressive, Miss Hudson. You have quite an eye for photography."

"Oh you think that's impressive?" Anna pulled out her portfolio. "Look at these!"

The redhead went from picture to picture, describing each scene with animated motions and gestures. An hour became three, and before Anna could move onto the next picture, a loud rumbling sent a flush of red over her face.

"Ooh... geez I'm sorry, I guess it's been awhile," the redhead couldn't bear to face the blonde.

When she got no response, Anna looked up to see that the blonde was paying her no mind. Her eyes moved slowly over each picture.

"So... do you like it?"

Elsa's eyes flickered up. She took a small breath as she leaned back into her chair.

"These are beautiful. I had no idea you were such a gifted photographer."

"Well thanks! … It's good to be appreciated for once," Anna looked down at her work.

Before the blonde could respond, her phone buzzed in her purse.

"I must leave. Thank you for showing me your work, Miss Hudson."

"You're welcome! And please, call me Anna." Anna bit her lip.

"And... and if you'd like, I would love to show you more pictures. If you have time of course!"

Elsa looked back at the girl for a moment. "I would like that. We'll be in touch," she smiled as she opened the door.

With that the blonde was gone. Anna looked down at her work one last time, before carefully returning them into the portfolio. Her stomach growled again and she groaned.

When she returned the empty cups to the counter, her employer held out a plastic bag for her. She looked questioningly at her boss.

"I ordered it when you walked in. You looked like you could eat."

"Thanks... Everybody seems to be taking care of me lately... I'll pay you back for these I swear!"

"You already have."

The redhead looked at her boss with a confused look. Another growl from her stomach sent her flying out the door with the bag of food.

"Thanks boss! I'll see you tomorrow!"

The balding man smiled as he wiped the counter.

_Three years I've seen that girl come in here for a cup of tea every week. That's the first time I've seen her smile._


	8. Chapter 8

**EDIT: **Sorry guy I didn't have time this morning to look over the chapter before posting, I fixed a few things, added page breaks, etc. Enjoy!

* * *

Elsa groaned as she massaged her temples.

"How could you leave us in the dark?" Mr. Weselton cried out. "These are things we should be aware of!"

"Please, gentlemen, settle down," Elsa kept her voice even, to the best of her ability. "I will simply have legal send another-"

"That's what got us in trouble in the first place!" The man's face was starting to turn red. "This is exactly why-"

"Jeremy, sit down." The vice president glared at the angry board member until he sat down. "I would like to remind you all that she is the Chief Executive Officer, and you will treat her with respect as such." He turned to Elsa.

"Even as CEO, you should at least inform the board when things like this happen."

"Would anything have been different if I had consulted you? Would you have allowed that recording to stay online?"

"No, but-"

"So what would've been different?"

The VP sighed. "The difference would be that at least we would have been more... careful. The first article barely got any traffic. The audio was, admittedly potentially damaging. But that was all it was. If you would have consulted us, we would have waited a few days to see if it would pass."

He put his hand up when Elsa went to speak.

"Instead, you sent out a cease and desist to the idiot who posted an interview he did not have permission to record. Now there's a direct copy of the letter on his blog, and it's actually gaining some momentum. It's been picked up by TMZ, New York Times, it's everywhere."

"He has no right to put that interview online and we all know it. He has no justification for any of this."

"It doesn't matter, Miss Beck. He's got the media writing this as you, big corporate, trying to silence a small time journalist. Getting legal involved any further would be pouring gas on the raging fire."

"Well what can we do?"

"For now, I think it's best to lay low and figure out our options. We'll have PR draw up a couple different ways to improve your image. Until then, I would suggest being as incognito as possible. Does anyone object?"

_Whatever. It's not like I go out much anyways._

"Then it's settled," Elsa stood up. "The meeting is adjourned."

She thought about her predicament as she stepped into the elevator. By the time she walked out the front door the blonde was shaking with anger.

"Is everything alright Miss Beck?"

"Yes Kai," Elsa snapped back.

_What's wrong with you? Conceal it, don't feel it._

"Sorry Kai, the meeting was a bit overwhelming today."

"No need to apologize Miss, I understand."

"Kai, please stop at the coffee shop, and clear my schedule for the rest of the day."

"Yes Miss, we'll be there shortly."

* * *

Anna stopped outside of the cafe to catch her breath. When she looked at her watch, her eyes widened. This was the third time this month she'd overslept.

_Well that's perfect. I hope he's in a good mood today._

"Anna?"

The redhead looked over her shoulder to see Elsa, staring down at her.

"Oh hey, how's it going!"

"Fine, thank you. May I ask why you're..."

Anna jumped upright and faced the blonde. "Oh! I was just catching my breath, because I ran here... heh," She tucked in the loose strands of her hair behind her ear. She reached for the door. "After you!"

As Anna walked in she crossed her fingers, hoping she could slip into the back unnoticed.

"Anna!" boomed the intimidating behemoth behind the counter. "The dishroom. Now!" Anna gave Elsa a small nod before rushing past the kitchen doors.

Elsa stared at the door for a moment, before looking up at the large man.

"Sorry you had to see that Miss Beck, that girl comes in late too often."

"She works here?"

"Of course, she's worked here for the past three years."

_And I've never noticed..._

"I see... Well I'll have the usual please."

Elsa took her drink and sat down in the corner, debating how to get out of the mess Hans had put her in.

* * *

_This is a terrible plan. It won't work, there's too many variables._

_It will work. She can be trusted._

_How do you know that?_

_None of the pictures I left untouched surfaced anywhere. If she was trying to exploit my trust that was a perfect opportunity to make some easy money, which judging from her outburst I'm guessing she needs._

_But still-_

_There's been no story about my little hospital trip either. She has kept her word so far, even though she had nothing to gain._

"Hey!"

The blonde almost jumped out of her seat. She looked up to find the redhead sitting across from her.

"Hi Anna, how are you?"

"Oh fine, cleaned up pretty quickly, it really wasn't too hard, now I'm on break and I saw you were still here so I thought I'd say hi!"

"I'm glad you're doing well. There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

The blonde hesitated for a moment.

"I need a photographer to do a photoshoot with me, and I was wondering if-"

"Yes! I-I mean, if you're asking for someone I know, I'm sure I can find someone. But if you were going to ask me, then I would totally do it... So..." The redhead put her hands in her lap and looked down at them for a moment. "Please continue."

"I was asking you, Anna. Since you seem so eager, I'll have Kai call you and set up the day."

"Cool! Well, I have to get back to work, but I'll see you later!" The redhead skipped off.

_Is this fair? You're using her._

_I'm giving her an opportunity that could set up a good base for her career._

_You're still using her, it's not like you're doing this out of kindness._

_Do we have any better ideas? Exactly._

Elsa pulled out her phone and dialed.

* * *

**A/N:** Things are finally gonna start happening again! Also, I've had some... unexpected events going on right now, and have been unable to write for the past week. I have a few more chapters in stock, but I don't want to leave this on an hiatus. So, the next chapter will be up on Tuesday, and for now I will be switching to a 2 chapters per week schedule, posting on Tuesday and Friday. Sorry guys!

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Criticisms and suggestions are welcome, thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

"Woah..." Anna's eyes widened as they approached the estate.

_I knew she was rich, but I didn't know she was live-in-a-castle rich!_

The redhead slipped out of the limo and stood in front of the main building. It was even bigger as those celebrity houses she'd seen on TV. She studied the gargantuan structure as she walked towards the steps.

When she got to the front door she raised her hand to knock, only to be distracted by the designs etched into the mahogany doors. The ginger girl stood there lost in the craftsmanship. Suddenly the door opened.

"Miss Hudson?" said the portly woman.

"Oh! Uh, yeah that's me! I'm here to see Elsa! I mean Miss Beck." _Smooth._

"Right this way."

The interior was even more impressive than the outside. The giant waterfall opposite the doors, two winding staircases leading up to the next floor, the giant chandelier hanging above her; it was a scene right out of a movie.

_That chandelier is probably worth more than my entire apartment... Yeah definitely worth more..._

"Miss Hudson, welcome to my home."

Anna looked down to see Elsa approaching her. She wasn't in a pants suit this time, instead opting for a white blouse and tan khakis. Still, Anna couldn't help but feel a bit under-dressed.

"Hi! Your home is beautiful! I mean, so are you, of course. Just that I've seen you before, and this is the first time I've seen a mansion..."

Elsa grinned at the redhead. "Thank you. Now, if you'll follow me, I'll show you where we're going to be working. You're going to be doing a shoot for..."

Anna followed the blonde, distracted by the artwork that lined the hallway. Soon they came to a large room, where everyone seemed to stop what they were doing to stare at Anna.

"So as I was saying, this is where we're going to be shooting," said the blonde. "We have the models in the clothing we want to feature. You have this room, the balcony and the courtyard below at your disposal. Are you ready to get started?"

Anna blinked. "Absolutely! This is amazing!"

"I'm glad you are excited. I have a meeting to attend to, but I should be back soon. If you need anything, please let Gerda know and she will provide whatever you need."

Anna watched the door close behind the blonde before turning to the dozens of eyes staring at her.

_Time to shine! _

She pointed at the dark haired boy. "You! I want you and your friend over here..."

* * *

As Elsa pulled into the hospital she thought back on her meeting with Jonathan Gad.

"_You're sure you want to do this?"_

"_Yes I'm sure. But this can't get out to anyone else. I don't want some intern working this. This stays between you and me until I say when. Can I trust you with that Jon?"_

"_Of course you can Elsa. When have I ever let you down. Now, how about I pay for dinner, considering it's sorta my fault you're even in this mess?"_

Elsa couldn't help but smile at the memory. Her smile faded as she walked into the hospital, and she felt a pit in her stomach. _This is it._

"Ah, Miss Beck. Please, step into my office."

Elsa sat down and held her breath as the doctor continued.

"Now, I will begin with your condition itself. Cardiac Sarcoma, is itself very rare. In most cases, the growth is secondary, having originated somewhere else in your body. In addition, cardiac sarcomas are mostly benign. Regardless it is treatable, through-"

"Can you just tell me what I'm dealing with?"

"Oh, yes. Sorry Miss Beck." The doctor took a deep breath before he continued. "You are a very rare case, Miss Beck. Your growth is a primary tumor, and it is malignant. But it's not all bad news. It hasn't spread, so if we remove the growth your chances are much better. Now, the best way would be to-"

"What are my odds exactly?"

"Well, that's hard to say, we have yet to determine-"

"What. Are. My. Chances. Doctor?" Elsa barely got the last word out through her teeth.

"If we are able to operate, your chances upon successful removal is very good. If not..."

"I see. Well thank you doctor, when will we be able to know if an operation is possible?"

"We need to do a few more tests to pinpoint the exact location of the growth, which we can do today if you'd like. After wards, once I will put together the best team to proceed, and we can go from there. Now if you'll follow me..."

* * *

Anna set her camera down to look out at the courtyard. The sun was touching the trees along the edges of the property. She wiped her brow and stood up.

"Whew! All done! Thanks everybody, that's a wrap!"

As the crowd began to disperse, Anna started to pack up her equipment.

"You're quite a leader, Miss Hudson."

Anna looked up to see Elsa walking towards her.

"Oh! I didn't see you came back! I'm sorry, I should have waited to see if you were happy with the shoot before I let everyone go."

"No, it's fine. I simply wanted to observe discretely. You took charge, kept your poise, and commanded the two dozen divas around like a true general. Miss Hudson, you never fail to amaze me."

Anna tucked her hair behind her ear. "Uh... thanks! It lasted a bit longer than expected, but we can go over the pictures now if you want!"

"That won't be necessary. We can meet again tomorrow. Kai will drive you home once you're ready, Miss Hudson." The blonde turned to leave.

"W-wait!" She cleared her throat. "I... I want to thank you, Miss Beck. Photography is all I have, and I know someone in your position has to have at least a hundred more qualified people for this job. Thank you, for letting me do this."

Anna watched as the blonde looked off into the distance.

"You're more qualified than you give yourself credit, Miss Hudson. Never let anyone tell you otherwise. Now, we will need to go over those photographs, I will have Kai pick you up in the morning."

"Sure thing!" Anna hesitated as Elsa walked away. "And... please, call me Anna. I... I'd like for us to be friendly, at least while we're working together."

Elsa turned to face the redhead. "Very well Anna. If you'd like, you may call me Elsa."

* * *

**A/N: **They're becoming friends! Sort of, at least. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, the next one will be up on Saturday.

Things are starting to settle down, so I should be able to return to the Mon/Thurs/Sat schedule next week.

Thanks for sticking with me so far! The best is yet to come!


	10. Chapter 10

When Elsa woke up, the sun was high up in the sky, casting a large shadow into the room.

_Wait a minute... What time is it?_

She reached for her phone. She lazily read it aloud, "quarter past ten." She rolled over in bed.

Normally she'd have gotten up hours ago, but today wasn't normal. Nothing had been normal since she'd been diagnosed. During the day she was anxious and easily agitated. At night she laid in bed, either crying or cursing whoever was up there, making her the butt of a cruel sadistic joke.

The blonde eventually forced herself out of bed and down to the dining room, barely managing to draped her robe over her pajamas as she walked down the steps. She slumped into her seat and almost fell back asleep when Gerda walked in.

"Miss Beck, are you alright?"

"Oh, Gerda. I'm fine, just a bit tired is all."

The maid's brows furrowed. "That seems to be a trend lately..." She gently nudged Elsa on the shoulder as the blonde's eyes started to droop.

"Elsa... I need to know what's wrong so I can help you. Please tell me why you've been so out of it lately."

Elsa looked up at her caretaker. _I can't hide this forever._

She motioned for Gerda to sit beside her. "Gerda, I haven't been completely honest with you..."

* * *

As Anna prepared for the day, she thought back on her conversation with Elsa the night before.

"_I'd like for us to be friendly, at least while we're working together."_

Anna smacked her forehead. _That wasn't weird at all. Nope, completely ordinary to bulldoze your way to first-name basis._

Anna was never good at making female friends. Her clumsiness and carefree demeanor was taken as an act rather than genuine. She'd always wanted someone she could talk to about things she couldn't talk to Kristoff about.

_Keep your inner weirdo under control. Let's try not to scare the Ice Queen away._

_Wait what? No, she's not the Ice queen. Elsa. Her name is Elsa._

Her interactions with Elsa had sparked an interest in the redhead, staying up researching the blonde's past. In every video and picture, Anna noticed that Elsa had the same demeanor, living up to her nickname.

_But she's more than that. I- She's not like that all the time. I just need to keep working at it._

When she heard the buzzer go off, she picked up her bag and ran out the door. The redhead was beaming when she saw Kai waiting for her outside.

"Hey Kai! How are you today?"

Kai opened the car door as Anna approached. "Fine Miss Hudson, are you ready to go?"

Anna dramatically stopped to stare at him. "For the love of- Kai! We've been over this, just call me Anna, we both know I'm no lady."

"Sorry, Miss- Anna."

She rolled her eyes. "This isn't over mister." As he closed the door she caught a glimpse of a small smile on his face.

* * *

As Elsa finished her story she gazed at her fidgeting hands. There was a moment of silence, broken by stifled sobs. When Elsa looked up she saw Gerda with tears streaming down her face, hands over her mouth.

"Oh, Gerda don't cry. I'll be okay, really."

"Miss Beck, how could I have not known this whole time? I should have known, I should have-"

"Stop." Elsa took Gerda's hands in hers. "There is no way I'm going to let you blame yourself for any of this. Is that clear?" Gerda nodded. "Good. Now, how about breakfast? And some tea to start the day."

"Of course Miss, right away." Gerda walked towards the kitchen doors, before turning back to the blonde. "Miss, about the young photographer..."

"Yes Gerda?"

"Would you prefer if I deal with her? You already have enough to deal with as it is."

"No it's fine... I'm okay dealing with it. I want to do it. I... I enjoy my time with her." Elsa grinned.

Gerda observed for a moment. "I understand Miss. Speaking of which, Kai should have gone to pick her up by now. I'd recommend freshening up."

Elsa finally realized that she was still in her pajamas. _Get it together._

"Oh yes, of course. Thank you Gerda."

* * *

Once the limo pulled into the driveway Anna jumped out, taking the steps two at a time. When she reached the door she knocked rhythmically and waited, rocking back and forth on her toes. She heard footsteps coming near.

"Hi Gerda!" Anna beamed as the door opened. "How are- woah is everything okay?" She looked at the woman with concern. The maid's eyes were red and slightly puffy.

"Don't mind me, Miss Anna, just allergies acting up. Miss Beck is in the dining room, if you'll follow me."

Anna eagerly followed, smiling from ear to ear as they turned the corner into the massive dining room.

Though the room itself was large, the size of the table was most impressive. It stretched from one side of the room to the other, dozens of chairs lining each side. Anna approached Elsa, sitting in the lone seat at the head of the table.

"Morning El- Miss Beck! How's it going?"

"Fine, Miss Hudson. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, I'm running a bit behind schedule today. Would you like anything?"

"Oh no, I'm fine just watching you eat." _You're a genius. _"Err, that didn't come out right. What I meant was-"

"It's fine," the blonde chuckled, before returning to her meal.

"So... Can you tell me more about this photoshoot? What's it all for?"

A puzzled expression ran over Elsa's face. "I don't follow."

"You know, uh, can you tell me more about the company and how all of this came to be?"

"Oh of course. As I was saying yesterday, this was a small clothing brand I started while I was in college with a couple friends. Recently we've come up with a new line, and we're doing this shoot for promotional purposes."

"Oh cool! I don't remember talking about this yesterday though."

"When you had just arrived, we discussed this before I left you in the grand hall with all of the models."

"Oooh... Sorry I was distracted by all of the amazing things you have in your home! I can't believe you actually live here."

"That's very kind of you to say. Maybe one day we can arrange a tour of the place." Elsa stood up and put her napkin on her plate. "If you'll follow me, we can continue our conversation in a more suitable environment."

Elsa lead her down another corridor, past the grand hall and into a bright room. The room had a wall of windows, which let the sunlight light up the room completely. There were several tables with equipment spread over them.

"This is your work area. We have a back-drop in the corner in case you want to take traditional photos with the models, computers for editing there, and that door leads to the development area where you can print large copies of the final product."

"Wow... This is incredible!" Anna spun around several times, disorienting herself in the process. "Woah... I'm okay..." Anna noticed the blonde giggle behind her hand. She turned to her and crossed her arms.

Elsa cleared her throat. "Well, I will leave you to your work, if you need anything, Gerda is around."

"Wait!" Anna reached out towards her. "I- If you want, I'd love to show you the whole process of creating a single photo. That is, if you're not busy."

The blonde seemed to debate it for a second, before smiling at the redhead. "I'd like that, but won't I get in your way?"

"What? Of course not!" The redhead quickly skipped over to the blonde, linking arms and dragging her towards the tables. "Come on it'll be fun!"

* * *

"Annnd... there!" Anna held up the large posters in both hands in front of the blonde. "Ta da! The finished products in all its glory! Well, some of them anyways."

"Very impressive, Miss Hudson. I never knew so much work went into a single photo."

"Well, most photographers nowadays have people that work for them that do some of the more menial tasks, but I like doing all of it myself. A labor of love, if you will." Anna laid the photo out on the table in front of them. "Yep, removing the lens flare, the loose strands of hair, brushing up make up, all the magic is really done by yours truly." Anna took a small bow, which got a grin out of the blonde.

"Do the models get any credit in your world?" Elsa asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh please! If those dull sculptures were half as perfect as they thought they were, I would've been done hours ago!"

Elsa stifled a laugh behind her hand. "That's very rude, Anna."

Anna's eyes widened. "What did you call me?"

"Oh, my apologies, I didn't mean any-"

"Nononono, it's alright! I like it. After all, did we not agree on that yesterday, Elsa?" She put some emphasis on that last word. Anna looked outside. "Well, it's getting pretty late, and I got through about a fifth of the work. Looks like I'll have to come back." She groaned over-dramatically.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Thank you for your dedication to your masterful work, Anna. Please leave your availability with Kai, and we can draw up a schedule for the foreseeable future. That is if you want to do this strenuous work of course." Elsa tried to hide her smirk.

"Well..." Anna stroked her imaginary beard. "There's no one else that could complete this work. I suppose I'll have to do it myself."

Elsa raised her eyebrow again. "Kai will take you home whenever you are ready, my master photographer."

Anna picked up her bag and walked towards the door, nose pointed at the ceiling.

"I will see you soon darling, ta-ta!" She waved back as she turned the corner.

Elsa tapped her foot, waiting. The redhead peeked her head around the door.

"Uhh... which way is out again?"

Elsa laughed quietly, walking towards the lost redhead. "Come on, let's get you home."

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! The next one should be up on Monday.

As always, comments/criticisms are always welcome! Also, I may start looking for beta readers soon, so look out for that.

Stay tuned!


	11. Chapter 11

"You're going there again?" Kristoff asked over his cup. "What's that, every day for the past two weeks?"

"Every weekday, today would be the eighth day. And yes I'm going back today, only if this stupid boot would-"

Kristoff leaned over the table to watch Anna wrestling with her boot, tongue sticking out as she rolled around on the ground.

"Shouldn't you be doing other things? Like, oh I don't know, working at the cafe where you get paid actual money?"

Anna stopped to look up at Kristoff. "I told you, he gave me the weekend until this is all done. Relax dad, I know what I'm doing." She tied her laces and jumped to her feet.

"Besides, this could really help my career. That's worth more than serving coffee for tips, isn't it?"

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Sure, that's why you're doing it."

The redhead glared at him with her hands on her hips. "What?" Kristoff said. "It's great you have a new friend! I'm just saying..."

"What are you saying?" Kristoff's eyes widened as she approached him. "Are you jealous?"

"Uh... no- that's not- why would I even-"

Anna threw her head back and laughed. "I'm just messing with you!" When she looked down Kristoff didn't seem amused. "Oh don't give me that look, you started it!"

Her phone started vibrating in her shirt pocket.

"That's my cue! I'll text you when I get out!" The redhead gave him a quick squeeze before running out the door.

* * *

Elsa massaged her temples. "I apologize for not keeping you informed, but it is a personal matter."

"Well this is preposterous! This affects the entire corporation!" Mr. Weselton screeched over the phone. "I demand-"

"What Jeremy, that you be put back in charge?" It was the Vice President, she guessed. "She's done more in the few weeks than you did in three years, even with her... predicament."

"Even still, with your condition, the board would be more than happy to give you a leave, until you..."

"It's alright, I understand what you're saying," the blonde sat up. "My operation is this week, and I will take a leave until my doctors have cleared me. Is that agreeable to everyone?" There were quiet whispers.

"I'll take that as a yes. If that is all, the meeting is adjourned. Thank you," she hung up and slumped back into her chair. _Just a few more days..._

"More tea, Miss?" Elsa opened her eyes to see Gerda standing beside her desk.

"That'd be great Gerda." The blonde watched her pour carefully before bringing the cup to her mouth.

"Miss Anna will be here soon, I can delay her if you'd like."

"Thank you, but I'm fine. I'll be right out."

Gerda nodded, before walking out of the office.

The blonde took a deep breath. She enjoyed being in Anna's company. For the past week it had been the highlight of her day, something to look forward to no matter how tired she was.

_But everything takes a toll..._

She didn't want to think it but it was true. Nowadays she was too tired to cry at night, yet too scared to sleep. During the day, she drudged through her tasks, trying to conserve her energy for when the energetic redhead would arrive.

_This isn't her problem. Conceal, don't feel._

As the blonde opened her eyes, she exhaled. Admittedly, she felt a bit refreshed. By the time she hit the door she had a grin on her face. _Swapping in one mask for another._

Elsa could hear Anna from the corridor, yelling greetings at Kai and Gerda happily. The blonde waited by the staircase as Anna burst through the front doors.

"Good afternoon An-"

"No time, we're already running late come on!" Anna practically dragged Elsa down the hallway, linked at the arms.

* * *

"Hey! Wake up!"

Elsa snapped up, rubbing her eyes as she groaned.

"How long was I out?"

"I dunno, you went quiet about thirty minutes ago. But look!" The redhead held a picture in front of the blonde. "I finished it!"

Elsa stretched her arms out as she looked at the photo. "Well done as always, Anna."

"Well done?" Anna gasped. "Why, this is the most fine work you'll ever see! A thank you would be nice," Anna pouted.

Elsa grinned as she got out of the recliner and walked towards the girl. "Okay okay, Anna Hudson, thank you very much for your hard work. I couldn't have picked a better person."

"See was that so hard?" Anna set the picture down.

There was a small silence between them.

_Now what? Should I tell her?_

Anna was looking outside, running her hand through her hair.

_She has no reason to come back, if I'm going to tell her I should tell her now._

"I-" Elsa hesitated when she realized Anna had said the same thing.

"Wait what?"

"Oh, it's nothing important, you go ahead."

The redhead's brows furrowed as she studied the blonde.

"Oh! I almost forgot! I have a surprise for you." Anna smiled as she walked towards the back room. "Wait here!"

Elsa sat patiently, watching as the redhead came out of the room with both hands behind her back. "Anna if this is another prank I swear," she warned. "I told you I don't like pranks."

"No no no it's not a prank silly! Look!" The redhead held out another photo in front of her.

The photo was of Elsa. She was curled up in her recliner, blanket covering her up to her chin. Her blonde hair fell over one shoulder down the blanket.

"You are so adorable sometimes I swear," Anna beamed. She handed the photo to Elsa as they walked towards the fireplace. "I had to take the picture, I've never seen you sleep before. Oh god that came out wrong. Not that I wanted to see you sleep, you know, 'cause that would be really weird and-"

"Thank you, Anna." Elsa interrupted. "It's a beautiful photo." She studied the photograph carefully as she sat down in her recliner silently.

_Don't do it._

"Anna... I want to thank you. Thank you for being so positive every day, you're a joy to be around."

She set the photo on the coffee table before continuing. "I-I hope that you and I can be friends, I'd really like that."

_Don't._

Elsa began fidgeting with her hands. "I need to tell you something... I-I'm going to be having-"

She looked back up to see the redhead sprawled over the couch, softly snoring. She smiled as she stood up and put the blanket over the sleeping girl.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Elsa got up and walked out the door, careful to shut the door quietly.

_Stupid stupid stupid! _Elsa quickly climbed the stairs toward her room. _What were you thinking? Thank god she was asleep._

She quietly prepared for bed. _But she won't tell anyone-_

_It doesn't matter, it's none of her business. What is telling her going to do for us?_

Elsa climbed into bed, staring up at the ceiling.

_Conceal, don't feel._

* * *

**A/N: **Next chapter will be up Thursday! Comments/criticisms are always welcome.

Stay tuned!


	12. Chapter 12

Elsa was finishing up her lunch when her phone started vibrating.

"Yes, Mr. Gad?"

"Ms. Beck, good morning." _That's weird-he never calls me that. _"I was wondering if you were available to meet this afternoon."

"Let me check here," she ran through her schedule on her tablet. "I should be able to fit you in at five. Would that work for you?"

"Yes, that's fine. I'll stop by then." Before the blonde could say anything, he'd hung up.

_That was... Uncharacteristic..._

Elsa's thoughts were interrupted by the portly maid.

"Miss Beck?"

"Yes Gerda, what is it?"

"I- were you aware that Miss Anna spent the night here?"

_Oh, right. _"Yes Gerda, sorry for not mentioning it earlier. Is she up?"

"It's not a problem Miss. I'm not sure, she was still on the sofa when I passed by the room. Shall I wake her?"

Elsa stood. "Don't worry about it, I'll get her."

Elsa let herself into the room. She gently tapped Anna on the shoulder. "Anna?" The startled redhead sat up quickly, before slowly beginning to slouch down.

"Erm- I'm up! I'll be out in a second Kristoff. Jus- gimme like..." Anna's head fell forward, snoring loudly.

The blonde held it in as long as she could, before bursting out laughing. This made the redhead fall to the floor, making the blonde laugh even harder.

Anna groaned as she stood up. "What's happening?"

"Hold still," Elsa shushed her. Anna heard a camera flash go off, which finally woke her.

"Wait what was that? Is that my camera?" She began walking towards the blonde.

"No no no, you, go get breakfast first. I'll have this ready for you in a bit."

The redhead started to argue, only to be interrupted by her rumbling stomach.

"Fair enough, I'll be in the dining room." Anna yawned as she walked out of the room.

* * *

The redhead walked back to the room, slightly more awake this time.

"Okay Elsa, lemme see your little project." She stretched as she looked for the blonde.

Anna finally found her coming out of the development room, holding a picture in her hand. "I call it, the sleeping beauty."

_Wow, she learned quickly. _The photo was clean, well edited and focused... Right on Anna and her big bedhead.

The redhead's eyes widened as she frantically clawed at her hair as she ran to the bathroom. She stood in front of the mirror combing her hair with her fingers. After five minutes, she relented and put her hood on before walking back out to the beaming blonde.

"You let me walk into the dining room like that? No wonder Gerda couldn't look me in the eye without smiling!"

"I'm sorry, I had to." Elsa handed the redhead her bag. "I'll make it up to you soon. For now, how about I drive you home?"

"You drive?" Anna smirked. "I didn't know you rich people wasted time learning menial tasks like driving."

Elsa raised her eyebrow. "Do you want a ride home or not?" She began walking towards the doors.

"I'm coming!" Anna grabbed her phone on the couch before running after the blonde.

* * *

"Woah..." Anna scanned the black two-seater from end to end, before looking up at Elsa.

"Do you own anything that isn't expensive and shiny?"

Elsa grinned. "Just get in."

As they approached the city, Elsa nudged Anna awake.

"Hrng! Um- what?" The redhead wiped the drool off her chin as she looked around.

"We're almost there," Elsa smiled at the drowsy girl. "Anna... I'm glad I chose you to do this project."

Anna yawned at the blonde.

"I- We won't be seeing each other for a while." Now the redhead was wide awake.

"Wait what?"

"I have business to take care of. International business. I won't be home for a long time. We're here." Elsa grinned at the girl halfheartedly.

The redhead frowned for a moment. "Give me your phone."

"What do you need it-"

"Just. Do it."

Elsa gave her phone to her, carefully watching as the girl typed into it quickly before giving it back.

"My phone number and email address. Keep in touch, okay?"

"I- Thank you. I will."

Anna undid her seat belt before looking back up at the blonde. "Woah, what's wrong?"

Elsa noticed the tear running down her right cheek. "Oh," she quickly wiped it away. "I'll miss you is all." She smiled at the girl.

The redhead searched the blonde's face for a moment before pulling her into a hug. "I'll miss you too."

Elsa made sure Anna was inside before driving off. She put on her sunglasses, as her vision got cloudy.

_Conceal._

* * *

**A/N: **I never realized how short this chapter was until I uploaded it, apologies to those who were disappointed.

Next chapter will be up Saturday, as always comments and criticisms are appreciated.

Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

Elsa sat in the car, staring at her reflection in the visor mirror. Her eyes were puffy, and her tears had mixed with her mascara, leaving black trails down her cheeks.

_Nothing a touch-up won't fix._

She ran her index fingers under her eyes, wiping away the smudged makeup. Soon her breathing was steady. The blonde took one last look at her reflection, before exiting the car.

* * *

Anna lay on her couch, the TV providing background noise as she stared up at the ceiling.

_Out of money, out of food and out of a friend._

A knock at the door forced her off the couch. Her stomach growled as she looked through the peephole.

_Shit, I don't have the rent money yet._

"Anna? I know you're in there, I have something for you."

The redhead sighed and opened the door.

"Look, I know I told you I'd have the rent money by this week, but some things came up and I'm gonna need a few-"

"What? No your sister took care of that this morning."

_Sister?_

"I just came by to give you this," The landlord handed her several plastic bags. "She left you a note in there too. You have a good sister you know, you should be thankful." The landlord smiled before walking away.

Anna walked to her table to start sifting through the bags. The bags were full of groceries, from strawberries, eggs and milk to chocolate syrup and ice cream. As she unloaded the last bag, a small note fell onto the table.

_You wouldn't let me pay you directly, so I figured I'd be a bit more sneaky about it. You should be good for three months of rent._

_Take care,_

_- Elsa_

The redhead fell back into her chair, tears streaming down her smiling face. She clutched the note with both hands into her chest.

Her stomach growled louder, demanding her attention. She got up to prepare dinner, carefully setting the note down on her counter.

* * *

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Elsa watched as the man stood, waiting for her to sit down. When they were both seated, she observed him quietly as Gerda brought out a tray, setting it down before the two before exiting the room.

"So," Elsa poured a cup of tea and handed it to him. "What was so urgent that you had to see me today, Mr. Gad?"

"It's about the piece you asked me to write." Elsa stopped pouring and put down the teapot.

"I already told you, I don't want it written anymore." Elsa sat back with her own cup in her hands.

"I know, that's not the issue." He put down the cup, leaning up in his seat. "The problem is, the little weasel got his hands on it."

Elsa's brows furrowed. "Who?"

"That blogger Hans. I don't know how, but he has the rough that was written, well, partially anyways. He's threatening to publish it, unless he gets to interview you again."

Elsa sighed as she put her cup down. "Josh, we both know that's blackmail, and whatever he has we can deny. Thank you for letting me in on the situation, but you can deal with it on your own. Now, is that really why you came all the way out here?"

He fidgeted in his seat. "Well, I know it's the least of your concerns right now, but I just wanted to make sure you heard it from me."

"What did you say? What do you mean, it's the least of my concerns right now?"

His eyes widened. "I mean, with your position is still very new, and I know you have a lot of work to do right now, and-"

"Stop. Who told you?"

"The Vice President, but it's not like that, he's just concerned-"

"Is that all?"

He looked up, to see her cold eyes glaring back into his.

"Is that why you came out here?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

She stood up. "I'm fine. Don't do this again." The blonde began to walk away, teeth clenched and hands shaking, doing her best to ignoring his cries.

When she closed her door, her facade crumbled. The pit in her stomach felt heavier and heavier, and she found it harder and harder to breath properly. She slid down her door, knees drawn up to her chest. She pulled her knees closer as she whispered her mantra to herself. She rocked back and forth as the walls seemed to close in, clenching her eyes shut. Soon her chanting had turned into a quiet whimper, which eventually turned into chocked sobs through her knees. As the anxiety began to dissipate, her sobs softened. She sat there with her chin on her knees, silently watching the sun go down through her window across the room, tears streaming down her face.

When the sky was dark, she finally stood up, brushing away the last tears as she changed into her nightgown. Her last bout with her anxiety had left her drained, and she wanted nothing more than to sleep.

_If only that's how this worked._

As her anxiety faded, guilt and despair took its place. As the voices in the back of her mind grew louder and louder, she found that she was too tired to do anything about it.

_What's wrong with you? All he wanted was to comfort you. That's what people do when they care about each other._

_You push away anything that's good. First the girl, now him? You isolated yourself from your only friends in the span of two hours. That's depressingly impressive, I gotta hand it to you._

_You're weak, you don't think other people deal with these feelings? They don't lash out to other people like a child. There's something wrong with you._

_You're a freak. But it's okay, it'll all be over soon anyways. You're too weak for this world, the universe is taking care of things for you because you're too much of a coward to do it yourself._

She felt the tears brimming as she stared up at her ceiling. Suddenly, her phone went off. She mustered the energy to get up to read the text.

"_Way to go behind my back! But seriously, that was very generous of you... A bit too generous... Is this an evil ploy to make me feel indebted to you?! If it is, well it's working :) Hahaha make sure you keep in touch ok? And let me know when you get back, I will somehow make this up to you!"_

Elsa read it over and over, the voices slowly beginning to fade away. She lay back in bed, feeling the exhaustion kick in. She kept going over the message in her head, smiling as she imagined the redhead saying it herself. Her eyes got heavier, and soon she was asleep, goofy smile still intact.

* * *

**A/N: **A bit different from the other chapters, but I hope you enjoyed it. The next chapter will be up on Monday.

Thanks for sticking with me this far!


	14. Chapter 14

She felt a bit light-headed. It probably had something to do with having not eaten anything all day, but that was necessary.

The blonde looked up from her book to scan the room. Spacious, with a nice view of the vast woodlands of upstate New York. While Ithaca was a foreign city to her, she felt at home. She had made sure of it. Elsa had brought Gerda, Kai with her. In addition, her personal physicians and surgical staff came with her to ensure she had the best care available in a more subtle place than NYC, where she could remain anonymous. She had brought a few things with her to keep her company during her stay; a couple books, her tablet and most importantly, her phone.

It seemed silly (possibly pathetic) to bring her phone with her at first. Gerda and Kai were to be with her at all times, after all. Though she was back on neutral terms with Joshua, she wasn't planning to contact him any time soon. There was only one reason why she had her phone.

_Anna._

Elsa smiled at the thought of the redhead. Though it had been only a few days since they had spent time together, she missed the energetic photographer. And as much as Elsa wanted to see her, she had made the right decision in her mind.

"Miss?"

Gerda stood at the foot of her bed, arms folded carefully in front of her.

"It's time."

Elsa nodded, signaling the maid to open the door for the staff to come in. They gently placed a white blanket over her, and started pushing her bed down the hallway.

* * *

Anna picked at her food with her fork with her free arm serving as a headrest. Kristoff cleared his throat.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just not that hungry." She rolled a meatball across her plate.

"Oh come on, since when do you pass up on free food?"

"Since when do you go out to eat?" She looked around the restaurant. "Speaking of which, are you sure you can even afford this place?"

"For the tenth time, yes. Now can you just humor me? I haven't seen you in a week and now you're all sad. What happened? She paid for rent and food, so what's the issue?"

The redhead sighed. "It's not about the money, Kristoff. I just... worry. Something wasn't right when she left."

"Something wasn't right?" Kristoff scoffed. "What are you a psychic? Look, the job's done, you got paid, and the Ice queen is gone. I'd call tha-"

"Don't. She's not the Ice queen."

"Okay okay, yeesh. You don't have to get so upset. All I'm saying is that you don't know her as well as you think you do."

"And I suppose you know her better? What are you, an expert?"

"Well no... But..." Kristoff scratched at his head. "Okay let me ask you this. Do you know how old she is?"

"Uhh... Older than me."

"What's her favorite food?"

"Tea?"

"Her favorite color?"

"Probably purple."

"When's her birthday?"

"Umm..." the redhead's brows furrowed. "Okay, so I don't know all this stupid stuff. So what?"

"So what? You're trying to tell me you guys are friends, yet you know nothing about her outside of her name. Friends tell friends things. Friends don't randomly disappear all of a sudden."

"She said-"

"I don't care what she said. You can't trust her Anna, you don't know her, I don't know her, no one really knows her. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"But-"

"No 'buts'. Anna, I've seen you get like this before, and every time I've seen you get hurt. You can't keep trusting strangers like this."

She put her fork down to fidget with her hands under the table. "I know. Sorry Kris, I know you're the one who always has to clean up the mess. But I can't help it, you know?"

Kristoff sighed. "Yeah yeah, I know. Now stop looking so sad, I'm done scolding you. Just... promise me you'll be careful, yeah?"

She gave him a small smile. "I'll try."

* * *

The operation room was smaller and much colder than she imagined it. The nurses stopped a few feet from the operating table.

"Miss, we need you to get onto the table. Can you walk?"

"Yes," she said quietly. As she sat up, she realized how much her hands were shaking. When she got on her feet, she had to clutch the bed to keep from falling over. The blonde slowly walked over to the table, trembling more with each step. When she was on the table, she looked up to the bright light above her.

"It's perfectly normal to feel nervous, we're giving you an anesthetic right now. I need to you to start counting backwards from ten, okay?"

The blonde nodded at the masked face. "Ten, nine, eight..."

The faces started to blur, and the only thing she could focus on was the light right above her. Slowly, her vision began to darken around the edges, eventually snuffing out all light.

* * *

"You sure you're okay?"

"Seriously Kris, I'm fine."

"You always say you're fine but you never are!"

"That's it!" Anna slammed her fists down on the table, knocking over her cup. "Kristoff, I'm not a child, and I don't need to be treated like one. When I say I'm fine, I'm fine. If I want to tell you otherwise, I will. I'm an adult, and I can make my own damn choices."

She noticed all the other tables had gone silent, watching the faceoff between them. "Well, I wasn't very hungry to begin with, so I think it's best if I leave. Thanks for lunch Kris, I'll see you around." She stormed out without waiting for a reply.

_Stupid Kristoff. I don't need to be babied, I'm twenty-one for god's sake._

She muttered a few curse words under her breath, strides getting faster and longer with each breath. Suddenly, she was knocked off her feet, her momentum carrying her back a few feet where she met cold concrete.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" She cried, grimacing at the pain. When she looked up, her eyes met chocolate brown ones, hand extended towards her.

"I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

"Oh! Um, yeah I'm okay!" She took his hand. "I jus- ow!" she instantly flinched at the pain in her right ankle. "I think I twisted my ankle."

The man got down on his knee to inspect the damage. "Oh... Yeah that's swelling up already." He stood up and put her arm over his shoulders. "I'm so sorry, I should have been watching where I was going."

"No no, I'll be okay," she walked slowly beside him, trying to put as little weight on him as possible. She tripped and put all her weight down on her injured leg, crying out loudly. "I'm fine, I-woah!"

The man picked her up in his arms. She instinctively put her arms around his neck, too afraid to look him in the eyes as she felt her face reddening. "I'm Anna, by the way."

The man chuckled. "I guess this is as good a time as any. Nice to meet you Anna, I'm Hans."

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you enjoyed that chapter. This is the half-way mark of this story (plot-wise), thanks for sticking with me so far. Unfortunately I won't be releasing a chapter this Thursday to give me time to write some more, as well as other story purposes. The next chapter will be up on Saturday, and we will be back on the Mon/Thurs/Sat schedule.

Also I quickly want to thank my beta reader, cupcakes_please on reddit. He's been awesome, I couldn't have done this without his help.

As always comments and criticisms are always appreciated, I will see you all on Saturday!


	15. Chapter 15

_6 Weeks Later_

* * *

Elsa scanned the room one last time to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Once she was satisfied, she grabbed the handle of her dark blue suitcase and began walking down the hallway. Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

"_You here yet?"_

"_No Anna, I told you I won't be back for a couple hours."_

She looked up from her phone to search for her driver. Once she spotted the large man at the main desk, she walked briskly towards him.

"All set, Kai?"

The driver turned to face his employer. "Ah, Miss Beck, perfect timing. I finished up the release paperwork, we can leave whenever you're ready."

Her phone buzzed again.

"_Ugh what's taking so long? Tell Kai to driver faster or something!"_

The blonde tried hard to keep from laughing, Kai noted.

"It's a long drive home Miss," he picked up her bag. "Gerda went home this morning to prepare a meal for when we arrive. Will we have any guests?" he asked as he held the door open for her. It was a question he rarely needed to ask, but felt it was necessary today, judging by the grin on the blonde's face.

"Yes, Anna will be joining us. Will you pick her up once we get home?"

"I'll be happy to," Kai replied. "We'll arrive in a couple hours." He shut the door.

"_I told him to drive as recklessly and dangerously as possible. I'm holding you responsible if we get in a crash." _

Once she pressed send, she realized the car was moving. She sat patiently with her phone in her lap, waiting to see how the redhead would respond.

* * *

"_I just arrived, Kai will be around to pick you up shortly."_

She had received the text twenty minutes ago, which sent the redhead frantically running around the house trying to get ready. She finished with five minutes to spare, even with rolling around in pain after stubbing her toe. Now, the redhead sat by her door, fingers drumming the top of her bag.

_Did Kai forget where I lived?_

Her eyes widened.

_It has been six weeks. Oh god why am I waiting inside? What if he just passes by without noticing?_

Anna bolted out the door, taking steps three at a time. When she got to the ground floor, she was panting and slightly sweaty. Still, she ran towards the door as quickly as she could manage, not noticing the large man standing by the buzzer.

_What if he's already passed? I should call Elsa._

She pulled out her phone and dialed. She bit her lower lip as the phone rang.

_Come on come on come o-_

"Anna!" The redhead spun around to face the source of the voice. "How could you just run past me without so much as a hello?"

She sprinted towards the man, beaming as she jumped to hug him around his neck. "Kai! I missed you!"

The driver chuckled. "Did you now? Here I was, trying to remember which number your apartment was, and you just bolt out without giving me so much as a glance!"

"Heh, well the thing is I thought you might have forgotten where I lived so I was trying to get down here as fast as I could. So I could flag you down so you wouldn't miss my house. That is, if you hadn't already passed... And remembered what street I lived on..." The girl's face flushed red with embarrassment. "Shoulda thought that one through, huh?"

The man just smiled down towards the redhead. "I haven't heard a tangent that long in weeks. Well, we should get going." He walked towards the car, opening the passenger door. "By the way, you still have someone on the other line."

Anna glanced down at her phone, finally noticing the quiet and confused voice on the line.

"Hello? Anna? Are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm -ow!"

"What happened? Are you okay?" The voice became more frantic.

"I'm fine, just the car and my head didn't want to play nicely today I guess," she rubbed her head. _That'll be sore in the morning._

"Mm, I hate when that happens," the blonde answered sarcastically. "Now, was there a reason why you called me?"

"Um... no? It's a long story," the redhead fidgeted with one of her braids. "Kai just picked me up, I'll see you soon!"

"Glad to know you haven't lost any of your charm since I've been gone." Anna could picture Elsa rolling her eyes. "Just try to get to me in one piece, okay?"

"I can't promise anything. Pray for my safety!"

* * *

"Miss?"

The blonde looked up from her phone to see the maid standing in front of her desk. Realizing she was still smiling like a fool, she cleared her throat to gather herself.

"Yes, Gerda?"

"I just came by to remind you that Mr. Gad has asked for a meeting this week. In addition, the board has requested your attendance at the meeting tomorrow, as well as-"

"Gerda?"

"Yes Miss?"

"Can we... Hold off on this till tomorrow?"

The maid blinked. "O-of course." She walked towards the door. "Oh, and Miss Anna should be here anytime soon. Shall I call you down when she arrives?"

The blonde got up. "No, that won't be necessary. I was going to wait for her at the steps."

"Very well, Miss. I will be in the kitchen if you need me." Gerda walked out of the room. She had a pleased look on her face as she walked away, Elsa noted.

Normally Elsa would have tried to figure out why, but today, she couldn't care less. Today, there were to be no work, no distractions. For the first time in weeks, she'd allow herself to relax and enjoy the company of her closest friend.

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you for being patient, there won't be any more delays in my releases for the foreseeable future.

Your patience will not go unrewarded, the next chapter will be posted on Monday! It'll be a bit longer than what you guys are used to.

As always comments and criticisms are always appreciated. See you guys on Monday!


	16. Chapter 16

Anna bolted out of the limousine as soon as it came to a stop. She ran towards the steps, taking them two at a time. She came to an abrupt stop at the door, taking a moment to catch her breath.

_Calm down you weirdo. You're not a dog, you're a friend. Don't overwhelm her._

She took one last deep breath before knocking rhythmically.

"Come in, Anna."

The redhead burst through the door, striding towards the blonde with a smile from ear to ear.

"How have you been An- augh!" Elsa found two arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Once the surprise wore off, she returned the embrace, her arms gently holding the redhead around the shoulders.

Taking a deep breath, the redhead took a step back, still beaming.

"Sorry, I was just excited to see you again," the redhead looked down, brushing her hair behind her ear.

The blonde smiled down towards her.

"It's alright, I missed you too." She motioned for the redhead. "Now, Gerda prepared us a wonderful meal, and we have a lot of catching up to do."

* * *

"Anhd dem, he sliphed anhd bloof!" The redhead mimicked the fall with her hands.

Elsa giggled under her hand. "That's a wonderful story. Maybe I'll actually hear it when you're mouth isn't full?"

Anna gulped. "Oops! Uh, wow. I'm so sorry about that, I didn't-"

"I'm only teasing you Anna, it's alright. Though I would like to hear the entire story sometime." She poured herself some tea as the maids took the dishes away. "So, it sounds like you've been pretty busy these days working."

"Yeah, it's all thanks to you really!" The redhead picked up a small pastry. "It's mostly been smaller ads. Although, I did a few photoshoots for some 'Youtubers'? They had some merch they wanted to showcase, and they even made a video of me doing the photoshoot. Weird, I know," she tossed the pastry into her mouth.

The redhead leaned slightly over the table, eyes narrowing. "What about you? You seem a bit thinner, are you okay?" _Wow. That's where you want to go right now?_

"Uh, I mean not that you look bad, you look great! I was just trying to-"

The blonde raised her hand. "It's alright, I did get a bit thinner, didn't I? Traveling was never my strong suit, working while traveling takes its toll on me. Especially when some things don't go as planned..." She looked out the windows, watching the wind blow over the trees.

Elsa looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have dropped all of this on you, I-"

"No, it's okay!" The redhead lowered her head, trying to meet the blonde's eyes. "You can talk to me about this stuff, I'm sort of an expert on this stuff."

The blonde looked up towards the girl across the table, waiting for her to continue.

"Well, uh, okay." Anna's brows furrowed, as she scrambled her brain trying to find the right thing to say. "Oh! Okay, so two months ago-"

Before she could continue, her phone rang. When she saw who it was, a smile flashed over her.

"Um... Sorry, do you mind if I take this?" She looked apologetically at the blonde.

Once the blonde gave her approval, Anna picked up the phone.

"Hey, listen. This is not a good time. We'll talk tomorrow? Okay cool!" The girl went silent for a moment, her cheeks beginning to glow red.

"I gotta go... I love you too bye," she muttered into the phone, before hanging up.

Anna sat there in her own little world, cheeks glowing and smiling. When she came back to reality, she quickly looked up at the blonde, who was staring back, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, uh sorry. Where was I?"

"No, you're not getting away with it that easy. Who was that?"

"Uh, oh that? Well um..." The redhead fidgeted. "That was... My... Cat! Wait, not my cat, I don't have a cat. I mean, my friend Kristoff, he has a cat, who kinda acts like a dog, but it's a cat..." She gulped, starting to sweat under the scrutiny of the blonde's glare. "These are really good pastries by the way, do you think Gerda would show me how to make these?" She grabbed a couple quickly, stuffing her face before she could incriminate herself any further.

The blonde burst into a fit of laughter. When she saw Anna genuinely confused, she composed herself.

"Anna you are a terrible liar. I gathered enough just by watching you that was your boyfriend." She grabbed her cup. "The only question is, just who is this 'Prince Charming'?"

Anna choked on the last pastry, coughing and panting as she fought with the piece of strudel lodged in her throat.

"Well, um..." She brushed her hair behind her ear. "Okay, this might sound stupid, but right now we're trying to keep our relationship private... No one knows about us, except for us. Is that weird?"

The blonde set her cup down gently. "No, I know all about being private, it's perfectly understandable."

Anna let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

"Frankly, I think it's pretty adorable," Elsa took a bite of the strudel. "You're right, this is a really good strudel."

Anna's face was flushed red once again as she stammered through a reply.

Elsa held back a laugh. "So, if I can't know the name of this _dashing_ young man, at least tell me how you guys met."

"Well, that's actually a pretty funny story. So this one night, I stormed out of a dinner with Kristoff..."

* * *

Anna gasped as Elsa opened the door to her bedroom. She studied the room carefully, from the large fan hanging from the high ceiling to the window at the end of the room stretching the height of the wall.

"I know I shouldn't be surprised at this point, but... wow..." She walked by the bed, fingertips skimming over the comforter. When she realized that Elsa wasn't following her, she spun around the face the blonde.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have just walked in without asking you," she started walking back towards the door. "If I-"

Elsa smiled affectionately at the redhead. "You're fine, Anna." The blonde walk past the smaller girl. "What I wanted to show you is over here."

She walked over to the bookshelf beside the window, fingers trailing past the books as she searched for the right one. When she came upon a thick leather book, she pulled it out, grunting at the weight of it. Elsa turned to face the redhead, holding out for the redhead.

Anna took the book from the blonde, nearly falling over when the blonde let go. Once she regained her balance, she set it down on the floor and knelt down beside it, studying the front cover.

"What is it?" She started going through the pages. "Woah, is that you?"

Elsa sat down beside the redhead, watching the girl as she flipped from page to page. "A perk of having business globally is traveling around the globe. If you can name it, I've been there."

"Eifel tower, Big Ben, the Sydney opera house, the Great Wall..." Anna's eyes darted from picture to picture. "This is incredible!" When she got to the end, she slowly closed the book. "I wish I'd been able to go to these places."

Elsa put her hand over Anna's that lingered on the book. "You're still young, who knows what could happen? Maybe one day you'll have a super rich friend who can afford to take you around the world for … hm, I dunno, your birthday or something," she smirked.

"Yeah, that would be something..." When it finally sunk in, Anna's eyes widened as she looked up at the blonde. "Wait, are you-"

Elsa chuckled. "Took you long enough. If you took any longer I-"

The redhead wrapped her arms around the blonde tight, eyes squeezed shut. She squealed in glee, barely able to contain her happiness. Elsa wrapped her own arms around the smaller girl, smile growing wider and wider as the redhead frantically listed all the places they could go.

* * *

"Hey Anna, Gerda set up the guest room for you. I also have some pajamas here if you wanted to..." Her voice trailed off as she approached the redhead sitting in the chair beside her bed. She nudged the sleeping redhead, who responded with a half opened eye.

"Hey, I had a room set up for you, so you don't have to keep sleeping on couches and chairs. Do you wanna sleep on an actual bed?"

"Mhm... Carry me," Anna put her hands out in front of her.

Elsa scoffed. "Jeez, you could say please." The redhead pouted, lower lip quivering as she slumped back into her chair.

"Okay okay you big baby, you win." Elsa crouched down in front of the redhead, allowing the redhead to climb on her back. Once the redhead wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck, Elsa stood up and began walking down the hall.

"I didn't think that would actually work," the redhead sighed contentedly.

Elsa laughed quietly, trying not to stir the sleepy redhead on her back. As they approached the room, the blonde's smiled.

"Hey Anna?"

"Mm?"

"I missed you."

"Mm. I missed you too," Anna gave the blonde a small squeeze.

Once Elsa had situated Anna in bed, she walked out as quietly as she could. When she was a few feet from the hall, she could hear the redhead snoring. _I should thank Gerda tomorrow for setting up the guest room further down from my room._

When she returned to her room, she prepared for bed. As she washed her face in the bathroom, her eyes locked on a clear bag containing small plastic bottles, sitting on her counter. She grabbed it, studying the label. She glanced at the biohazard logo, with the words 'caution' in bold beneath it.

_This is what I have to put into my body for the foreseeable future. That's comforting._

She put the bag down, recounting what the doctors had said on her last day in the hospital.

"_Miss Beck, we couldn't remove all of the tumor. We're going to start you on chemotherapy, it should shrink the tumor and give us more time."_

"_More time for what?"_

"_To find you a replacement heart."_

* * *

**A/N: **That is the most fluff I've ever written in one sitting, enjoy it hahaha.

I want to give a shout out again to my beta reader, cupcakesplease (or cupcakes_please on reddit). He's really helped me translate my thoughts onto the paper and I couldn't have done this without his help. He just recently started publishing his own fanfiction, A Dream of Arendelle. It's on my profile under favorite stories, so you should check it out. Like right now.

As always, comments, criticisms, and thoughts are always appreciated. The next chapter will be posted on Thursday.

I'll see you guys then!


	17. Chapter 17

As she scarfed down another chocolate pancake, Anna glanced over towards the blonde. She sat at the head of the table, cutting her strawberries in half before eating them.

"Anna, you're staring."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"It's alright Anna," the blonde smiled towards the girl. "What's wrong?"

"It's... nothing."

Elsa searched the redhead's face, smile slowly disappearing from her face.

"Anna? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah... Just..." The redhead sighed. "I was wondering where you've been."

"I told you, I was away on business." Elsa said, slightly relieved. "I'm sorry it was so sudden."

"Oh you don't have to apologize, I was just..." Her voice trailed off, Elsa noted.

"You sure you're okay?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, I'm fine! I was just curious," she tucked the loose strands of hair behind her ear. "By the way, you haven't touched the pancakes. I thought they were your favorite?"

"They're _your _favorite. We spent an hour one day talking about your favorite kinds of chocolates, remember?"

"Right... Well, what's your favorite? Food, I mean." Anna surveyed Elsa's plate. "Please don't tell me _that's _it."

Elsa raised her eyebrow. "Fruits and vegetables are good for you Anna. I'm just trying to eat healthy."

"Eh, it's too early for healthy. I need my fix of chocolate," she took another bite. "Anyways, you haven't answered my question."

"Well, I guess if I had to choose... Gerda makes these chocolate truffles occasionally. She spends an entire day making them, decorating them individually. It fills the entire estate with the sweet smell and- Anna?"

The redhead, realizing that she was practically drooling, quickly closed her mouth in embarrassment. Her face flushed red as she folded her hands on her lap, too afraid to look up.

The blonde giggled under her hand. "I'll ask Gerda to make some for you." She looked at the clock across the room. "Come on, I'll drive you home."

* * *

Elsa put the car in park. She frowned when she saw the glum look on the smaller girl's face.

"Anna, I won't disappear for two months again. We'll see each other again soon."

Anna looked up towards her, blue eyes searching the blonde's face. "You promise?"

Elsa gently squeezed her hand. "I promise."

"Okay," the redhead managed a small smile before stepping out of the car. She watched the car drive off before heading inside. As she closed her front door, her phone rang.

"Hello? Yeah, sorry sweetie I just got home, what's up?"

* * *

Once she got home, Elsa quietly went up the stairs. She stood in her bathroom, staring at the small orange plastic bottle in her hands. Her blue eyes glossed over the fine print over and over, making sure the instructions had not changed each time. She took a deep breath, and picked up her cup of water. With a shaky hand, she brought it to her mouth, taking small sips as she tried to calm herself.

Quickly, she brought the pills to her mouth, hesitating for a moment before popping them in. She washed down the bitter capsules with the rest of the water, pouring herself a couple more cups to wash away the taste.

As the taste subsided, she trudged over to her bed before collapsing onto it. Soon her body was shaking, tears rolling off her cheek and onto the comforter.

* * *

Anna took one last look over her outfit in the full body mirror Hans had gotten her. She padded down her light blue blouse, inspecting it for any loose strands. She heard her phone go off in the other room, and she raced towards it, slightly disappointed once she saw who'd sent it.

'Movie night. Me and Sven are watching the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. You in?'

'No'

Her phone buzzed again as soon as she'd set it down.

'Are you still mad at me?'

'What do you think?'

'Look, I'm sorry, can we sit down and talk it out? I haven't seen you in a week.'

'Sorry, date night.'

The buzzer went off by the door. She quickly skipped to the intercom.

"Who is it?"

"It's me sweetheart," Anna's heart fluttered as she lingered on that phrase. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'll be down in a sec!"

She silenced her phone before putting it into her purse. She ran down the steps, smile becoming wider and wider as she got closer to her auburn haired boyfriend. Once she had gotten outside, she leaped into his arms.

"Woah there fierypants, what's gotten into you?" He set her down gently.

"Oh nothing, just happy to see you!" She lost herself in his green eyes for a moment.

"I'm happy to see you too. You look beautiful by the way," Hans raised her arm over her head, spinning the girl slowly. A flush of red emerged over her freckled cheeks.

"You look beautiful too! Uh- I mean, you look great. Not that you don't always look great, because you're always great, to me..." She brushed her hair nervously. "You're great."

The taller boy let out a loud chuckle, before wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

* * *

Anna sighed contentedly. After dinner, they picked up some chocolates and wandered the city. They came upon Anna's favorite park, where they found a bench underneath an oak tree. She laid back into his arms and closed her eyes, perfectly happy with the world.

Her thoughts soon moved to the breakfast with the blonde. Anna had mentioned offhand about the blonde looking a bit thinner, but that was putting it nicely. The girl looked frail, to the point where Anna was concerned for her life. Every movement seemed strained, and as much as Elsa tried to hide it with makeup, it was clear to Anna that she hadn't been sleeping well judging by the dark bags under her eyes.

Anna sighed again, this time not so happily. This didn't go unnoticed by Hans, who had been feeding the redhead truffles from the box of chocolates. He looked down to the sullen girl with concern.

"Hey, are you okay?"

She looked up into his green eyes, butterflies fluttering in her gut.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled up at him.

_Don't lie._

"Actually," she hesitated, lost in her thoughts.

_It's nothing worth bringing up._

_It's exactly as he said it was, it's worth bringing up._

_No it's not. How do you know that he's telling the truth? How would he even know these things?_

_Because-_

_Don't you trust her?_

A hand brushed against her cheek, bringing her back to reality. Hans gently pulled her face towards his by her chin. Their lips touched softly, and the loud thumping of her heart replaced the inner monologues. As they parted, she opened her eyes and found his.

"Tell me what's wrong Anna."

She took a deep breath. "You were right. About Elsa. She won't tell me where she's _really _been, and she looks really sick." A tear came down her cheek. "I'm worried about her."

He pulled her closer. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you, it was none of my-"

"No, I'm glad you did. I didn't want to believe you, but I saw her with my own eyes." The tears started pouring down her face. "I just want to help her."

He wiped away her tears, gently stroking her hair. "I want to help her too. We'll figure everything out. Together."

* * *

**A/N: **As always, comments and criticisms are appreciated.

Next Chapter will be up on Saturday!


	18. Chapter 18

She opened her eyes, squinting to see the figures standing at her doorway. They were whispering too quiet to be heard from the bed, she noted. She turned over in bed to look out the window. She looked up at the sun, shielding her eyes with her hand.

_Seems to be about noon... Oh no._

Elsa quickly jumped out of bed, only to fall down to the floor. The loud thump got the attention of the shadowy figures, who ran to her side.

"Miss Beck, are you alright?" Kai put an arm around her waist, hoisting her up slowly.

"I'm fine, the meeting," she steadied herself. "What time is it?"

"It's... Tuesday Miss, you've been sleeping all day." He brought her over to the bed. "Not to worry, I called them to let them know you weren't feeling well."

"I slept through the entire day..." She looked off to the distance. "Wait, what about Jonathan?"

"He stopped by, I told him you weren't feeling well enough for visitors. I told him you'd call to reschedule."

She took a deep breath as she ran a hand through her blonde hair. "Thank you Kai." She looked over at the clock. _Fifteen before noon, I can still make it. _She stood up from the bed, putting a hand up as Kai tried to assist her.

"Get the car ready and let the board know I will be attending the meeting today."

* * *

"And that's another thing!" The balding man cried, voice cracking as he lifted his index finger high above his head. "You were too sick to attend your meeting? The first one you planned on attending in months, by the way!" He looked around at his fellow board members. "This is exactly why I should be put back in charge. She is too sick for her position!"

"Mr. Weselton," the Vice President stood up. "May I remind you that with her in charge, our revenues ha-"

"That means nothing!" He slammed his hands on the table. "It's not all about the now. We must think to the future!"

The gray haired man's face grew dark. "What are you saying?"

"She is sick. _Very _sick. Even if it is only temporary, I feel it is in the best interest of this company for her to step aside until she is better. There is nothing more unappealing to potential partners than inconsistency. It cost this company, all of us, millions when Mr. and Mrs. Beck-"

"Enough!" Elsa roared, bursting out of her chair. Every person around the table froze. Elsa was out for blood, and there was only one person in her sights.

"How dare you," she snarled. "You don't get to speak of my parents in that way. They achieved more than you could even imagine doing, you incompetent weasel. I, have done more from my bed in the past two months than you every did in three years. You are lucky to even be here."

He rose his hand to speak, only to be silenced by Elsa, pounding her fist into the table.

"This is not a debate. This is me telling you as it is, and you taking it. Now sit down." She glared at him, veins popping out around her temples. "Sit. Now."

After a silent standoff, he surrendered, falling feebly into his black leather chair.

"I will remind you that I still have the majority share in this company. You don't decide if I leave, I will tell you if I am leaving. Even if I decide to take a leave, there is no way in hell I will leave it your incapable hands." She looked around the table, only the Vice President with the courage to look her in the eye.

"This is my company. If you don't like it, you are more than welcome to leave." She gave one last glare at Mr. Weselton, who flinched slightly from his seat. "Meeting adjourned."

Most of the board packed up. After the shuffling of shoes and Mr. Weselton's grumbling faded away, she sank back into her chair at the head of the table. She slumped forward on the table, her head resting on her forearms. She sobbed quietly into her shirtsleeve, whole body shaking as she tried to calm herself. She nearly jumped out of her seat when she found a hand on her back. She looked up, to see the Vice President standing behind her.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, just a bit tired," she wiped the tears away.

He took the seat next to hers, putting a hand over hers.

"Your father would be so proud," he smiled at her. "You've come so far, and you've done it all by yourself."

She gave him a shrug. "I'm sure he'd be real proud of how I handled that situation just now."

He chuckled, before looking back at her. "That weasel used to get on your fathers nerves too. He would go on about how he was more experienced, how he had worked on Wall street before, blah-blah-blah," he mimicked. "Your father used to just laugh it off, he had a way of defusing any arguments before they could escalate."

"But one day," he put out his index finger in front of her. "Mr. Weselton mentioned your mother. Something about how she had no place at the meetings. Before anyone could say anything, your father burst from his chair, and punched him square in the nose," he roared in laughter.

Elsa's eyes widened. "He did?"

"Oh yeah, it was a good one too. And while the little man was rolling around wailing like a baby, your father walked back to his chair all calm, and continued the meeting. I'm telling you this so you know even your father couldn't stand that man." He picked up her hand in his, a more serious look in his face. "But this time, he's right. You need to focus on your health."

She sighed, before looking back up at him. "I know. I just, don't want to lose this. It's all I've got left of them, you know?"

"I know, but your health is more important."

She took her hand from his, putting it on his cheek. "Where would I be without you?"

"Your old man made me promise to take care of you the day you were born," he stood up. "I'm just trying to keep that promise."

"Well in my book, you're the best godfather anyone could ask for." She stood, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I'll take a leave, but only if you'll take my place."

He sighed. "If it means the little weasel doesn't get this position again, I'll do it. Oh, and also for you I guess," he smirked.

She smiled and squeezed him one last time before letting go.

"Tell me more about my dad," she sat down, listening closely to his stories.

* * *

They talked for over an hour, exchanging stories of Elsa's father. As they sat there laughing, a quiet figure walked past the door and down the hallway, camera in hand.

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading, and a special s/o to the very... Interesting review that was left on the last chapter.

Anyways, next chapter will be up on Monday.


	19. Chapter 19

Anna stared at her phone. It had been a couple weeks since she had last seen Elsa, not that Anna hadn't tried. Every time she would suggest coming over, she got a variation of the "I can't today", or "Sorry Anna, I have a meeting today".

_At least she's still texting me, that's... something._

She groned and rolled onto her back, yielding from her staring contest with her iPhone. It was her last day off this week, and she had hoped to spend it with the blonde.

_Come on universe, you make this happen, and I'll give up chocolate for a week. No, two weeks!_

Her phone buzzed, prompting the girl to leap back over to her phone, only to be slightly disappointed.

"_Sorry Anna, I have too much work today. I'll talk to you soon."_

"Ugh!" Anna threw her phone at the door, only hit the picture Elsa had taken of her. The force knocked it off of the counter, glass of the frame smashing loudly.

"Oh shoot," she jumped up from the couch, running over to assess the damage. She stepped on a shard of glass, crushing it with a loud crunch. She screamed out in pain, falling to the floor with a thud. Suddenly, her door flung open, Kristoff standing with a bag of groceries.

"Anna!" He was quickly by her side, examining her from head to toe. "What happened, are you hurt?"

"I stepped on glass Kris, it hurts," she whimpered.

He looked at the injured foot, before standing up.

"It doesn't look too bad, I'm just gonna grab some tools from my car, I'll be right back." The blonde boy dashed off through the door.

Anna reached over to the broken frame, pulling out the picture carefully.

_Elsa, where are you?_

* * *

Elsa got up from the bathroom floor. She wiped her mouth with a tissue, throwing it into the toilet before flushing.

_Minor nausea and discomfort my ass._

She walked over to the counter to check her phone. The blonde frowned when she saw that Anna had not responded.

_Please Anna, be a bit more patient with me._

She hated lying to the girl, but it seemed better than risking vomiting and fainting in her presence. As she walked out of the bathroom, she felt a bit optimistic. This round of chemo was finally over, which meant she had two weeks until the next round.

Elsa walked down the steps towards the door, Gerda by her side.

"What's on my schedule Gerda?"

"You just have your meeting with Mr. Gad. After that, your schedule is clear for the next two weeks, as you asked."

The blonde opened the door, turning to waive Gerda goodbye before walking down the steps. She was greeted by Kai, who waited by the car, opening the back door for her to enter. Once the car pulled out of the driveway, she closed her eyes, clutching at her gold necklace.

_Just a bit longer._

* * *

She yelped, grimacing as Kristoff pulled another shard out of her foot.

"Just relax, feistypants. You're gonna be okay."

"You sure? I'm not one of the pets you work with."

He gave her a look. "The only difference between me and a doctor is that doctors need people to tell them what's wrong." He plucked out another shard. "That looks like it was the last one." He carefully wrapped up the pile of shards before placing it into the black garbage bag.

"Here we go again," Anna rolled her eyes.

"Shush," he pulled out a small plastic bottle, dabbing a white cloth with the liquid. "This might sting a bit," he picked up her foot with his free hand.

She cried out at the burning sensation. "Hurry!"

"And... There, all done." He picked up the bandage and began wrapping her foot. "See, that wasn't so bad."

She glared at him. "Is this your way of getting back at me?"

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm just helping you because I care about you," he packed up his tools back into his bag.

She looked down at her hands. "Sorry... I know I can be immature sometimes."

"Hey, I was only kidding." He looked around the apartment. "We should probably clean up all of this glass..." Suddenly, he picked her up, carrying her over to the couch. "You, sit. I'll take care of this, okay?"

"O-okay," she stammered out. Kristoff walked back over to pick up the shards, unaware of the blushing redhead watching him.

* * *

"This is an... Interesting place," Jonathan looked around the cafe. "You come here every week?"

"I used to," Elsa sipped on her coffee. "No one that would care knows I come here, and the people that are here don't care who I am. It's nice to be able to get away."

"I guess I would have to be famous to understand that," he smirked.

_You're here having coffee with him, when you told Anna you were too busy to meet today?_

_This is business, and I'm not ready to see her yet._

_Oh, so you came to the place where she works. Brilliant._

_I made sure she wasn't working before I came here. I want to make sure I'm... Stable before I see her._

_And what better place to test your ability to not vomit than a public place?_

"Uh, Elsa?"

The blonde blinked. "Oh, sorry. I'm just a bit run down from... You know."

His brows furrowed. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that... How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she set down her cup. "What about that Hans? Where are we in dealing with that?"

"You don't need to worry about that guy anymore, I set him straight." He reached for her hand. "Are you okay?"

"Jon, I'm fine," she pulled her hand away.

"If you ever need anything, you just let me know okay?" He leaned forward in his seat. "I'm here for you."

"That's very kind of you," she finished her cup. "Well, I better be getting home. It was nice to see you." She stood to leave.

"Well, uh... Okay, I'll see you soon," he wrapped his arms around her, getting a light tap from the blonde.

"See you soon," she walked out the door, puzzled by his strange behavior.

* * *

Kristoff tied up the garbage bag. "Well, that seems to be the last of it. I'd say your apartment is glass free."

Anna bowed dramatically from her seat. "Thank you, brave sir. You have saved my foot from impending doom."

"You're welcome. Well, I better get going, it's about time to feed Sven." He turned to leave.

"Wait!" The redhead reached out towards him, prompting the boy to turn back around. "I, um..." She groaned. "Why is this so... weird and awkward?"

He leaned against the counter. "Well, we really haven't spent much time together lately. I only see you when I bring you food, and that's only once a week at most."

"Well, can we do that more? Spend time together, I mean." She fidgeted in her seat. "I'm sorry I was being such a brat, I know you're only looking out for me. I really missed you."

Kristoff walked over to her, bringing her in for a hug. "I missed you too, I'll see you soon, I promise." He gave her a quick peck on top of her head before leaving.

* * *

Elsa walked out of the cafe, trying to figure out why Jonathan had acted so strangely. When she looked up and saw Anna's apartment complex, her thoughts were overrun with guilt.

_You are so close, why don't you stop by to say hello? It's the least you can do._

_That is a terrible idea._

_You've been lying to her for the past two weeks. Actually, you've been lying to her since you met her. Who does that?_

_You don't deserve a friend like her. You are manipulative, controlling, and she has done nothing but good things for you. If you have any decency you will walk over to tell her the truth and let it all out. She deserves to know._

Elsa walked towards the apartment complex with her head down.

_Once you tell her everything, she will realize how much of a freak you are. Then she can get on with her life, and be rid of you for good. She-_

Elsa was nearly knocked off her feet, having bumped into something. When she turned around, she realized she had run into a tall blonde boy.

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

"Sorry, I-"

"Wait," he squinted. "I know you, you're Elsa, Anna's friend!"

_Oh no._

"Look, if you're here to-"

"Please, don't tell Anna you saw me here."

"What?"

"I need to-"

"You want me to lie to her? For you?" His eyes darkened. "What are you doing here? If you hurt her I swear-"

"No, I just," she felt lightheaded. "I just need time, please..."

She could tell he was trying to say something, only she couldn't hear anything. The last thing she saw was his concerned look, before the darkness engulfed her.

* * *

He didn't know how, but he had made it in time to catch her. Kristoff looked around, luckily no one was on the street to see what had happened.

"Hey," he shook her by the shoulder. "You okay? Can you hear me?"

_Shit this is not good, I should get her upstairs._

He went to pick her up, only to find a large hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay, son, I'm here to take her home." The large man reached for her.

Kristoff instinctively put a protective hand over her shoulder. "And who are you supposed to be?"

"I'm her caretaker, now step aside." He got closer.

"No," Kristoff growled, refusing to back down. He took a step away from the large man.

The man's face darkened. "Son, you don't know what you're doing."

_Shit. _He looked at the door. _I won't make it two steps before he grabs me._

The man took a step towards him.

_I have to try._

Before Kristoff could make his move, Elsa fidgeted, eye's opening slightly. She looked around for a second, before looking at the man.

"It's okay, that's Kai, he'll take me home."

Kristoff nodded, handing the blonde over to the large man. "Sorry sir, I just had to make sure."

"It's alright, thank you for your concern." Kai went to turn around, only to be stopped by Elsa, who grasped Kristoff's sleeve.

"Please, don't tell her. I need time," she pleaded.

Kristoff sighed. "Okay, but if I'm keeping quiet, I need to know what's going on." He pulled out his business card, tucking it into her hand. "When you are feeling better, call me. Until then, I promise I won't say a word."

"Thank you," she managed to mutter that out before passing out again, losing the grip of his sleeve.

Kristoff watched as the large man placed her in the back seat before pulling away.

* * *

**A/N: **They finally meet! Sort of.

Comments and criticisms are always welcome, the next chapter will be up on Wednesday.

See you then!


	20. An update

I just wanted to make this update to let y'all know what's up.

In a couple weeks I will be taking a hiatus, to focus on my university work. It may be a month, two, maybe three.

Although a hiatus is inevitable, I can try to push the story along as fast as possible in the next two weeks, so that I can finish it all after a break (kinda like how r9k ended, if you read that). Or, I can continue with the story as is, and hit all of the plot points I have planned out.

While I will be making this decision, I will hear you out if you leave me a PM or a review.

Also, I've been getting PMs here and there asking about the pairing (Elsanna, Kristanna, etc.). If you really want to know, I will tell you (as if you're looking for a specific pairing I'm not doing, I don't want to waste your time) in a PM. But I won't be putting it in an A/N or in the title, as revealing something like that takes away from the story itself (IMO).

The next chapter will be up this Thursday, not tomorrow. I apologize for the delay, but I want to hear what you have to say and make a decision on how I'm going to proceed before I post the next chapter.

I really wanted to wrap it up before I had to go, but I am still planning on finishing this story. Don't give up on me guys! We'll get there.

Thanks for sticking with me so far,

-Yodge


	21. Chapter 20

Elsa paced back and forth in front of her desk, eyes locked on the white card she'd found in her hand. The card was badly creased and wrinkled, but still in one piece.

_Come on, Elsa think. There has to be a way out of this._

Her brow furrowed. After a moment of silence the soft thumping of her footsteps started up again, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.

_Maybe if... No that wouldn't work... Come on you're better than this! Think!_

She groaned in frustration. The blonde snatched up the small card, crumpled it up in both hands before throwing it across the room.

_Conceal it._

She took a deep breath and walked over to the ball of paper. As she walked back to the table, she unfolded the card. After taking a moment to look at the writing, she put the paper back down on the table to resume her pacing.

* * *

"Kristoff!"

"Ah-what?"

"Come on, we're actually spending time together and you're off in your own little world," Anna pouted. "Did you even hear what I was saying?"

"Uh yeah, something about your..."

_Please don't make me say it._

"My boyfriend, Hans?" She sighed. "Never mind, it's not important."

Kristoff glanced down at his phone.

"Are you expecting a call or something?"

The blonde boy's eyes widened. "W-what? No, I was just... Checking the time?"

"Sure you were..." Anna groaned. "Come on Kristoff, what happened? We used to be so close, look at us now! We can't even hold a conversation over lunch." She looked down at her fidgeting hands. "What are we gonna do?"

"I'm sorry," he tried to make eye contact with the redhead. "It's not you, it's... me. I'm just-"

"Wait wait wait, are you-" she looked at him questioningly. "Are you breaking up with me? Kristoff, you can't break up with me we're not even going out," she smirked.

"Wait what? No, of course not! I would never-" the boy's face reddened as he scratched his head. "I would never break up with you."

Anna blushed at the unexpected response. "Oh, um..." She looked back down at her hands, fingers knotted together.

They sat quietly eating their meals, too embarrassed to look at one another. The uncomfortable silence was finally interrupted by Kristoff's phone, which lit up with an unknown number.

"Oh!" Kristoff quickly grabbed the phone. Before he picked up, he looked over at Anna. "I should probably take this, do you mind?"

"No, it's fine, go a head!" Anna smiled at him. "I'll be here, waiting."

He gave her a smile before rushing towards the door. Once he was outside, he picked up the call.

Anna watched Kristoff as he took his call. There were long pauses between his replies, and he had a stern expression that Anna had learned to associate with her being in trouble. Before she knew it, Kristoff hung up, and walked back into the restaurant. She quickly picked up her sandwich and stuffed her face, trying to be as casual as possible when he sat back down.

"Wh-" she chocked on a piece of lettuce. Anna coughed for a moment before she was able to swallow the rogue leaf. "Who was that?"

"That was a patient of mine- well not a patient obviously, but you know what I mean," he grabbed his sandwich, finishing the rest in one giant bite. He washed it down with the rest of his lemonade.

"There's an emergency, I gotta go to work," he stood up, grabbing the check. "I'll take care of this one, uh..." He stopped, giving the girl an apologetic look. "Sorry for running on you like this, I'll make it up to you soon." She gave him a nod. Anna watched him pay the bill as fast as he could before rushing out the door.

* * *

He sat in the back of the limo, playing with his thumbs.

_Should I... Talk to him?_

"So... Has she fainted since she's been home?"

_Are you fucking kidding me? That's all you could think of?_

Kai took a second to look back at the blonde through the rear-view mirror. "She felt much better today after a long night's sleep. Thank you for your... Concern."

_New plan, keep your mouth shut until we get there._

After what felt like an hour, they finally pulled into a long driveway. Kristoff's eyes widened as he looked up at the giant mansion.

_This is... She lives here?_

He nearly jumped when the door suddenly opened, the driver looking down at him, studying him carefully. He cleared his throat before stepping out, mumbling a 'thank you' as he walked past.

He walked up the marble steps, hand sliding up the rail. He marveled at the craftsmanship, muttering to himself under his breath as he approached the door. He went to knock, only for the door to open, a short lady standing behind it.

"Right this way... Sir, Miss Beck is waiting for you." She motioned him to follow her.

Once he was inside, he nearly forgot why he had come in the first place. He took a quick second to scan the area, taking in all of the luxurious home décor. Once he was finished, he chased after the small woman.

When they arrived at a set of large white doors, the woman stopped. She took a moment to look at him, before opening the door. He entered to find Elsa sitting in a black leather armchair, hands folded neatly on the table in front of her.

Kristoff walked over to the table. "So, uh-"

"Please," Elsa motioned at one of the chairs in front of the table. "Have a seat."

He sat down, trying his best to sit straight, or like 'royalty', as his foster parents used to say. "Listen, I just want to say-"

"Before we begin, I'd like you to sign this." She handed him a single sheet of paper. "It is a non-disclosure form. What I tell you in this room, stays in this room." She watched as he picked up the piece of paper. "Please, take as long as you need."

He glared at the blonde. "Are you serious? I'm not signing this," he threw the paper down on the table. "Let me tell you something," he pointed at her accusingly. "I don't care how much money you have, you're not going to intimidate me into anything. So if you want me to keep your secret, you're going to tell me everything. Now."

They stared at each other, tensions rising. Eventually, the girl backed down. She sighed, her posture no longer as perfect. The girl who sat in front of him was no "Ice Queen", he noted. She slumped back into her chair, which seemed much bigger than before.

"Very well, here is everything..."

* * *

Once she had finished, Elsa felt drained. She had never talked so much about herself before, let alone to a complete stranger. She braced herself for the worst, hoping he wouldn't try to extort her for too much.

"I'm so sorry."

_What?_

She looked up, shocked to see the boy's sad expression on his face.

"You've gone through so much, so fast. No one should have to go through all of that alone."

She blinked. "Well, people are, unpredictable."

"That's true I guess..." He glanced out the window, taking in all of the fountains and gardens in the estate. "Is it true that all rich people have exotic pets, like birds and horses?"

She laughed under her breath. "While I can't speak for all wealthy people, but I don't have any pets."

"Well, did you ever consider getting one? Not a horse or a bird, but like a dog. They're great companions, and I've heard they can do wonders for someone going through... You know."

"Gerda has asked been asking if I was interested in getting a dog," she pondered verbally.

"If you're interested, please let me know. I run a clinic that also serves as an animal rescue. We have some of the sweetest dogs that could use a home."

"I'll think about it, thank you for that."

"And," he scratched at his head. "And I'll sign this now."

_Why?_

She watched as he signed the document before handing it to her.

"Now that I know the whole story, I understand why you wanted me to sign this. I won't tell anyone anything, you have my word. And that legally binding paper."

"Also, um..." He scratched at his head. "If you need someone to talk to, you know, a friend, you can call me. If you'd like."

She studied him carefully. "Thank you, but, why are you doing this for me?"

"It's not for you," he blurted out. "Uh, I mean... It's for Anna. She really cares about you, you know that? I just-" a sullen expression ran over his face. "I don't want for her to be disappointed by another person." He quickly composed himself, making eye contact with the girl. "But don't take this as me agreeing with what you're doing. You need to tell her."

She blinked. "I understand. You care very much about her, I'm glad that she has someone like you."

A flush of red ran over the boy's face, as he stammered a reply.

"I'm sorry if I'm putting you in a tough place," Elsa continued. "But I'm doing what's best for everyone... Especially Anna." She stood up, walked past her table. "Thank you for coming today, Kai will drive you home."

_Another person for you to disappoint._

She lead him down the hallway, smiling as he made comments about her paintings.

_What are you gonna do now? Let's be honest, you don't think you're gonna make it do you? You're planning on leaving everyone who cared for you to suffer. _

Elsa opened the front door for him, giving him a curt nod as he mumbled through a good-bye.

_Gerda, Kai, Jon, this guy, and... Anna. They're all going to mourn you, even though you don't deserve it. Is that your plan? To have your fun with them while you're here and to leave them to suffer on alone?_

She watched the car drive off, silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

_She won't be alone. She'll have him to take care of her._

* * *

**A/N: **Thank you all for your feedback on the last update, I will do my best to keep updating frequently.

As always, all criticisms are appreciated, next chapter will be up Saturday.


	22. Chapter 21

"So..." Anna looked around her apartment. "You're gonna come by this afternoon?"

"Yes, well, is that okay? If it's too much trouble on such short notice, I could-"

"No! Uh, it's not any trouble at all! Just, call me before you leave okay?"

"Of course. I'll talk to you soon."

Anna set her phone down on the table and turned in her seat, scanning the apartment.

_Sweep the floor, wipe the counter, do the dishes..._

She looked at her sink, overflowing with plates and silverware.

_Take out the trash, put the laundry away, and the bathroom- Oh god the bathroom._

The redhead groaned. She stood up, slowly walking over to the laundry room. She put on her bright yellow gloves, taking a deep breath.

_Let's do this._

* * *

"And the final matter of business for today, the temporary replacement for my position." Elsa gave a sharp look at Mr. Weselton as she stressed the word 'temporary'.

"I nominate the current Vice President. He is well experienced, has worked very close to me in the past, and I believe that he is the most capable alternative for the time being. The floor is open for nominations."

Elsa scanned the room, most of the board appeared pleased with her choice, except for one. Mr. Weselton's eyes darted from face to face, becoming more panicked as the silence continued.

"If there is no other nominee, is there a second for the sole nominee?"

"Second," several board members replied.

"We will now vote. Everybody in favor of this succession, please signify by saying 'aye'"

Most of the board murmured the phrase in monotone.

"All opposing?"

"I oppose!" Mr. Weselton furiously raised his hand into the air. "This is ridicu-"

"The ayes have it, the motion has been passed. That is all for today, thank you all for being here."

Elsa packed up her things, giving the Vice President a small smile and a nod before walking past. She quickly dropped the smile and walked past Mr. Weselton, who began following her into the elevator as he ranted at her.

"This is a set up, and you are behind it! You are afraid I will surpass you!"

A smirk crept onto her face, but only for a moment before she forced the cold look back on. She walked by him again, heading towards the door.

"You are running this business into the ground! Your parents would be ashamed!"

_Conceal it. Keep it under control._

"This isn't the end of this! I'm not letting you get away with this! You cold-hearted bit-"

She spun to face the man, only a moment after she heard the loud crash of a fist meeting skin. She watched as the old man tumbled to the ground, hands grasping at the swelling cheek. Elsa grabbed the assailant by the shoulder, attempting to turn him to face her.

"What the hell are you doing Jon?" She furiously yanked at him. "Get off of him!"

"Did you hear what he said about you? Why I should-" He raised a fist.

"Enough! Security!" The guards quickly pried the young journalist off of the shaking board member. "Escort Mr. Gad out of the building please."

"But Elsa-"

"And make sure to keep him out. He is no longer allowed in this building until further notice," she said flatly, glaring at him the whole time.

As the guards dragged him out of the building, she took a deep breath to regather herself. She looked back to the old man, who was bleeding from his nose.

"Mr. Weselton, I wish you a speedy recovery." She turned and walked out of the building without waiting for a response.

She waited for Kai to close the door before letting out the breath she'd been holding.

_Breathe._

After a series of deep breaths, she pulled out her phone. A small smile ran across her face as she dialed the energetic redhead.

* * *

"Hello?" Anna panted as she wiped her brow. "Oh hey! You on your way?"

"Yeah... Is this a bad time? Anna, I can come by another time."

"Oh no, you're fine. I'm just doing a bit of tidying up! So, how long until you think you'll be here?"

"About fifteen to twenty minutes, depending on traffic."

"Cool, I'll see you soon!" Anna hung up quickly.

She scanned the living room one last time, finally satisfied with the cleanliness. She sniffed her arm, face scrunching up at the smell.

_Just one last thing to clean!_

* * *

Kristoff took a sip of coffee as he looked down at his phone. He'd sent her a text ten minutes ago, with no response.

_Come on feistypants, I'm right across the street!_

"So Elsa hit you?" Kristoff's ears perked as he leaned subtly towards the conversation.

"No, it was some other guy, I haven't seen him before."

"Well it's a good thing he did, or you might have done something stupid."

Kristoff heard chairs screeching against the floor.

"I have to go, you understand. You should put some ice on that."

Kristoff tried to see who the mysterious men were, only to get a hint of auburn hair under the black baseball cap as the taller man walked out the door behind the smaller bald man. Before he could give it any more thought, his phone buzzed on the table.

_'Can't today, a friend is coming by today!'_

He noticed the black limo stop in front of Anna's apartment complex.

_'A friend' huh?_

He gulped down the last of the coffee, burning himself in the process. He grabbed his belongings and headed towards Anna's apartment.

* * *

Once the redhead had finally unlatched herself from the blonde, Elsa walked in to the cozy apartment. As she looked around, she could hear the smaller girl fidgeting behind her.

"Welcome to my apartment! I know it's not as big and fancy as your place, but..."

"I like it." Elsa smiled at the girl. "It's lovely, Anna."

The redhead beamed at her. "Thanks! Well uh," she lead the girl to the table in her living room. "Have a seat! Can I get you anything? I have orange juice, apple juice, grape juice... Well a lot of juices honestly, I don't really drink anything else, except... juice... heh," the redhead's face turned red.

The blonde chuckled. "Some water would be nice, thank you." She waited patiently for the smaller girl to return to the table. "How long have you lived here?"

"Well, it's been about a year. Before that, I lived in my friend, Kristoff's apartment for like, six months before he made me get my own place. After that, I moved from place to apartment, crashing at Kristoff's whenever I ran out of money."

Elsa frowned at the thought of the redhead being homeless. "I'm sorry, that must have been hard."

"Oh no, it was pretty fun! I got to live in all different parts of New York, it's pretty amazing how different a world you can live in from someone just a couple blocks away. Like this one guy I knew-"

There was a knock at the door. Elsa watched as the redhead got up to open the door.

"Hey, um... What's up?"

"Oh just stopping by, just seeing how you're doing,"

Elsa's eyes widened as she recognized the voice.

"Is this a bad time? No? Well don't mind if I come in- Oh hey, Elsa!" Kristoff smirked at her. "Weird seeing you here!"

_What the hell is he doing?_

Anna followed in, clearly irritated by the boy barging in. Just before she went off on a rant, a look of confusion crossed her face.

"Wait, how do you guys know each other?"

"Well that's funny you should ask, Anna! Elsa, do you want to tell the story?"

_Is he- Oh god is he really going to-_

"No? Well I guess I can tell it, it's quite the story. Well, about a week ago, Elsa-"

"I went to adopt a dog!" She took a moment to calm down before continuing. "You've told me so much about the kind of work he does, and I was just curious as to what kind of animals he rescues." She glared at him. "Isn't that right, Kristoff?"

"Uh- right. Yeah," he winked at her dramatically, fortunately going unnoticed by the redhead.

Anna stepped around him to look at each of them carefully, before shrugging.

"That's great! What kind of dog are you gonna get? Can I come with you to help you pick? There's this one dog there that's so sweet-"

"Anna, can I get some coffee?"

"Oh, um... Sure thing!" Kristoff waited until Anna was in the kitchen before sitting down next to the blonde.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Relax, I wasn't actually going to-"

"You swore to me that you wouldn't say anything. You-"

"Hey." Kristoff grabbed her by the shoulders. "Shut up and listen for a second. After we're done here, I need to talk to you. In private."

"About what?"

* * *

**A/N: **I hope you guys enjoyed that, the next chapter will be out on Tuesday.

Thanks for reading!


	23. Chapter 22

"Is that everything?"

"Uhh..." Kristoff's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, that's it."

Elsa let out a sigh. "That's good."

"Good?" Kristoff leaned forward from his seat. "Elsa, did you not listen to what I just said?"

"Two people, one being Mr. Weselton, were talking about how the old man got punched in the face." She took a sip of her tea.

"Yes, and they were lucky 'he didn't do anything stupid'!"

She raised an eyebrow at the boy. "The man wouldn't dare to hurt me, if that's what you're implying. He has a temper, but he's not stupid. Besides, that doesn't make any sense. What does he have to gain from hurting me?"

"I don't know... Isn't he next in line to be in charge?"

"Kristoff I'm in charge of a company, not a monarchy. There are steps to electing a new chief officer. First-"

"Hey, what did I say about your boring lectures?"

"'Save it for Anna, I don't care'," she glared at the smirking blonde. "Fine, but I'm telling you that there's no need to worry."

"If you insist. So..." He scratched at his head. "How's... You know..."

"'How's the chemo?' You can say it, I'm not going to get more sick if you say it out loud."

"Just answer the question smartass."

"It's fine, I'm actually on my two week rest before the next round," she poured herself another cup.

"That's good... Have you told Anna?"

Elsa flinched, spilling some tea on the table. Gerda came running towards her, only to be waived away.

"I'm fine Gerda, I got it." She took a deep breath as she wiped down the table. "It's not that simple."

"What- Um yeah, it is. Have you even considered-"

"Yes," she snapped. "Yes I have, Kristoff. I've considered everything, don't you think I, of all people, would consider every possible consequence imaginable when it comes to something like this?" She looked down at her hands. "A part of me wants to tell her. But-" She wiped the tear away. "What if..."

She flinched at the sudden contact. She looked up to see the boy kneeling beside her, handkerchief in hand.

"Don't think like that," he wiped away the tears. "You're gonna be fine. Trust me, I'm a doctor."

She laughed under her hand. "I don't think this is your area of expertise, doctor."

"Well... You got me there." He stood up, extending a hand towards her. "Come on, I want to show you something."

* * *

"Is this..."

"Yep, this is where I work. Pretty cool huh?"

As they walked into the office, she looked around the lobby. "Do you work here alone?"

"No, I have a receptionist and a few vets on staff. Come on, what I wanted to show you is in the back."

As she followed him down the white corridor, she noticed all of the awards hanging up on the wall. The distracted blonde nearly ran into the boy, who stood in front of an open door.

"Wait here," the boy waited for her to nod, before quickly disappearing into the back.

In the mean time, she studied the awards hanging on the walls.

_'Award for Excellence in Veterinary Medicine', four years in a row. Impressive, Dr. Bjorgman._

"Okay, come on in," the boy shouted from within.

"What are you up to Bjorgman," Elsa walked towards the door tentatively. "If you scare me I swear to god-"

"Just get in here!"

* * *

She opened the door slowly, eyes widening when she saw several puppies sitting around the young doctor, vying for his attention.

"You said at Anna's that you'd adopt a dog, I'm keeping you to your word."

She stood there frozen in place, eyes fixated on the little creatures on the floor.

"It's okay, they won't bite. Probably." The boy stood up and approached her. "Relax blondie, they're puppies, haven't you ever seen a puppy before?"

She let him take her by the arm, eyes fixated on the puppies, who had now noticed her. When she was a couple feet away from a golden retriever, she got down to her knees.

"Not in a long time," she extended her hand towards the puppy, who carefully approached her, sniffing the air. When he was close enough, he sniffed her hand for a moment, before licking it.

"See, he likes you."

She didn't respond, completely infatuated with the small creature. She pulled back her hand, beaming when the puppy took it as an invitation to jump on her lap. Elsa giggled as the dog tried to lick her face, her hands pushing the pup gently. Once it had settled down in her lap, she smiled down at it as she ran her fingers over its head and back.

"I had a dog when I was little," she reminisced fondly. "His name was Olaf."

"Tell me about him," Kristoff joined her on the floor, two pups rushing onto his lap.

"He was a white lab, he was the sweetest dog. My parents used to say I would pull at his ears when I was a baby, but that Olaf never left my side. When I could walk, I used to play with him in the garden for hours. Sometimes I fell asleep on him, and he'd stay with me until my parents found us and took me to bed. I'd wake up in the morning with him at my feet, curled up at the foot of the bed."

"He sounds like a great dog."

"He was," her smile faded. "He was my best friend, my only friend, for a very long time."

"Well, it's your lucky day," he put a hand on her shoulder. "You now have Anna, myself, and today, you get to choose a new friend to take home! Hell, I'll even give you two for the price of one!"

"Isn't adopting a dog from a shelter free?"

"That doesn't mean I'm wrong," Kristoff stood up. "Well, if you're serious about adopting today, I'll need to pull up the paperwork. And I'll call Anna, she'll kill us both if we do this without her."

"That's probably a good idea."

He stopped at the door, turning to face the girl sitting on the floor. Due to the lack of Kristoff, Elsa had become a hot commodity, every puppy vying for her attention. She laughed as the puppies climbed over each other to reach her face. He smiled contentedly before walking out, leaving Elsa in their care.

* * *

**A/N: **Apologies for the delay, it wasn't ready yesterday. This was supposed to be one chapter, but I cut it in half so I could post something for you guys.

Next chapter will be up this weekend, and it may be my last before my leave. I don't want to push the story forward and leave it in a bad place.

Enjoy!


End file.
